Green Path Alliance is pleased to introduce SustainabilityInTourism.com, a new project designed to connect travellers with tourism experiences that demonstrate a meaningful commitment to environmental responsibility, local communities, cultural respect, and transparent tourism practices.
The platform creates a practical space where tour operators, destination management companies, local guides, accommodation providers, and other tourism organizations can present individual experiences that meet defined basic sustainability criteria.
From sustainability claims to clearer information
Travellers increasingly want their journeys to support local communities, protect natural and cultural heritage, and reduce unnecessary environmental pressure. However, identifying responsible experiences is not always easy. Broad sustainability claims often provide very little information about what is actually being done.
SustainabilityInTourism.com was created to make this information more structured, accessible, and transparent.
Tourism providers can submit experiences that meet the platform's basic listing requirements. These requirements consider elements such as local economic contribution, cultural respect, group and visitor management, environmental practices, transportation, and estimated carbon impact.
Free listing and independent review
The platform uses two clearly separated participation levels:
Listed experiences
Meet the platform's basic submission and eligibility criteria. A listing allows tourism providers to present relevant sustainability information in a consistent format.
Reviewed experiences
Have undergone an additional, paid, evidence-based review. Only after this review is successfully completed may an experience display the “Assessed by” designation on the platform.
This distinction is essential for maintaining transparency between a provider's submitted information and an independently reviewed experience.
Assessment of the tour — not certification of the entire organization
An assessment published on SustainabilityInTourism.com applies only to the specific tour or experience reviewed.
It does not mean that Green Path Alliance has assessed or certified the tour operator, travel agency, hotel, destination management company, or other organization offering that experience.
Organizations seeking a complete institutional sustainability assessment can apply separately for the Green Path Alliance assessment, built on the GRAIL Framework for Sustainable Tourism.
Supporting improvement, not simply promotion
SustainabilityInTourism.com is not intended to become another marketplace built around unverified green labels. Its purpose is to support clearer sustainability communication, encourage better tourism practices, and give responsible experiences greater visibility.
The platform does not act as a tour reseller. Travellers connect directly with the tourism provider responsible for the experience, while providers remain responsible for their bookings, prices, availability, customer service, and legal obligations.
The model is designed to make participation accessible while preserving a clear pathway from basic eligibility to a more structured independent review.
An invitation to tourism providers
SustainabilityInTourism.com is currently inviting tourism providers from different regions to submit responsible tours and experiences during its pilot development phase.
We are particularly interested in experiences that:
- Create meaningful value for local communities
- Respect local culture and heritage
- Protect natural environments and biodiversity
- Use responsible visitor and group-management practices
- Communicate environmental impacts transparently
- Offer credible alternatives to high-pressure or extractive tourism models
“Sustainability must become visible through practice, not merely through marketing language.”
Through SustainabilityInTourism.com, Green Path Alliance aims to help tourism providers communicate those practices more clearly, support continuous improvement, and make responsible travel choices easier to understand.
Important distinction
Experiences listed on SustainabilityInTourism.com are individual tourism products. A listing does not constitute certification of the organization providing the experience. The “Assessed by” designation appears only after the specific experience has completed an independent review. Full organizational assessment and recognition are provided separately through Green Path Alliance.