Sustainable Tourism
Last Updated: March 6, 2026
Advancing Sustainable Tourism in Ontario
TIAO is taking the lead on a sustainable tourism initiative to progress sustainability across the province, support Ontario in becoming the most sustainable province by partnering with GreenStep Solutions - the only Canadian-based organization to offer Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC)-Recognized certification standards and assessment tools for the entire tourism industry, to create the Advancing Sustainable Tourism in Ontario project, a province-wide sustainable tourism initiative, to achieve Destination Certification for Tourism Regions 1-11 in Ontario.
This assessment will establish a baseline to show areas of strength and opportunities for improvement. Following the destination assessment, a Sustainability Action Plan will be developed for each tourism region with short, medium and long-term timeframes, guiding the tourism regions on their regenerative and sustainable tourism journey.
This project uses the GreenStep Sustainable Tourism Destination Standard (GSTDS), to enable tourism destinations to assess their sustainability performance through a 117-question assessment, covering the four key categories: Management, Social and Economic, Natural and Cultural, and Environmental.
Project Goals
Achieving Tourism Destination Certification for 11 Tourism Regions across Ontario.
Tourism Regions demonstrate regional leadership by making a public commitment via ST2030 Pledge.
Engage 250+ industry stakeholders to sign and complete the Sustainable Tourism 2030 Pledge requirements.
GreenStep Sustainable Tourism
Sustainable Tourism is delivered by GreenStep Solutions, an award winning sustainability consulting firm and Certified B Corporation established in 2008. GreenStep has helped over 3,000 businesses to measure and improve their sustainability performance. Sustainable Tourism provides globally-recognized assessment and certification programs for tourism businesses, operators, and destinations.
With programs that include the Free Sustainability Score, Sustainable Tourism 2030 Pledge along with low-cost sustainability assessments, GreenStep Sustainable Tourism aims to help support small and medium-sized tourism organizations to either get started on or to make continual improvement towards their sustainability goals.
A minimum score of 35% is required to achieve a Bronze Certification. Other grading levels include Silver, Gold and Platinum.
As the exclusive purveyor of Sustainable Tourism certification in the province, TIAO can offer affiliate Sustainable Tourism memberships, including preferred rates for TIAO members.
Fast Facts
🌿 GreenStep Sustainable Tourism criteria is recognized by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) and aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
🌿 GreenStep Sustainable Tourism is the only North American-based Certification provider of GSTC-recognized standards for all sectors within the Tourism industry and for Destinations.
🌿 GreenStep Sustainable Tourism has Certified hundreds of Canadian businesses, across all sectors of the industry, including tour operators, accommodation and transportation providers, breweries, etc.
Operational & Marketing Benefits
🌱 Internationally-recognized measurement and recognition of your sustainability initiatives, to be used for marketing purposes or to help distinguish yourself in your community and to your guests.
🌱 Opportunity for your sustainability initiatives to be featured on GreenStep social media platforms, monthly newsletters as well as Member Spotlights, to be used on your social channels.
🌱 Searchable listings (if a signatory) on Sustainable Tourism 2030, or as a member or partner on GreenStep Sustainable Tourism and goodtraveller.net with your company details and a backlink to your website, valuable to your SEO and Google ranking.
🌱 Identification as a travel sustainable property to guests on booking platforms, when applicable.
🌱 A one-on-one assessment with a sustainability expert with data and insight on how you perform across aspects of management, social and economic, natural and cultural and environmental sustainability.
🌱 Depending on the Sustainable Tourism program of choice, a custom built action plan and additional planning and implementation tools for improving your sustainability performance and saving money.
🌱 Discounted annual subscription to our web-based carbon calculator, where you can measure your carbon footprint based on international standards.
🌱 Member support, follow-up and ongoing communication to ensure continual progress and improvement
🌱 A library of industry specific resources, including articles, guidebooks, toolkits, educational webinars and workshops, etc.
Further Resources & Reading
Explore further sustainable resources to help your tourism businesses strengthen environmental and social impact.
Sustainable Tourism Today: Global Shifts and Canada’s Opportunity
Hosting Sustainable Events
Introducing GreenStep’s New Sustainable Tourism Pathway Program
Tourism’s Role in Strengthening the Canadian Economy and Supporting a Sustainable Future
Bill C-59: What Canada’s New Greenwashing Law Means for Tourism
Top 12 Ways to Save Energy in your Tourism Business
How to engage guests and visitors on your sustainability journey
