Sustainability has become a fundamental pillar for the future of tourism. Destinations and companies that embrace sustainable practices not only contribute to environmental preservation and social well-being, but also gain a significant competitive advantage in the global market. In this scenario, two outstanding initiatives emerge as essential tools: Sstatistical Framework for Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism (SF-MST) and the International Sustainability Certificate – Biosphere Sustainable. Understanding how these concepts intertwine is crucial to promoting more responsible and resilient tourism.
SF-MST: The Statistical Basis for Measuring Tourism Sustainability
The SF-MST, developed by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), is an integrated statistical framework designed to operationalize the measurement of tourism sustainability. Its main objective is to provide a common set of concepts, definitions, classifications, and reporting structures to guide the measurement of tourism in its economic, environmental, and social dimensions.
This framework is designed to be applied at all spatial scales, from the local tourist destination level to the global scale. It recognizes the complexity of tourism and its diverse effects on the economy, the environment, the local population (host community), and the visitors themselves.
The SF-MST serves as a common language for discussing progress towards tourism sustainability, primarily intended for national statistical offices and related technical agencies. However, it is also relevant for experts and organizations involved in the analysis and dissemination of information on tourism sustainability at all geographic scales.
It is important to highlight that the SF-MST does not, by itself, assess the sustainability, resilience, or carrying capacity of a system; this is the role of analysts and decision-makers. Its function is to organize a comprehensive set of data that serves as a coherent and holistic baseline for various assessments and analyses, allowing different stakeholders to make their own informed evaluations.
The framework is based on existing and well-established statistical structures, such as the Tourism Satellite Account: Recommended Methodological Frameworkrk (TSA: RMF 2008) for the economic dimension and the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA) for the environmental dimension, adapting them to the context of tourism. It addresses topics such as visitor flows and spending, structure and performance of tourism industries, environmental pressures and impacts (such as Greenhouse Gas emissions – GHG, solid waste, water and energy use), connections between tourism and ecosystems (including biodiversity), activities of tourism industries to improve environmental outcomes, perspectives of visitors, host community and tourism suppliers, and governance.
Biosphere Sustainable Certification: An Internationally Recognized Commitment
O Biosphere Sustainable It is an internationally recognized certificate developed by the Responsible Tourism Institute (RTI), an organization linked to the UNWTO and the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC). It certifies tourist destinations, businesses, and services that implement concrete policies and actions in favor of sustainable development, aligned with the principles of the UN's 2030 Agenda and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The Biosphere Sustainable certification offers a range of tangible benefits to certified entities, including:
- International recognition: The seal increases credibility in the global market.
- Competitive advantage: Attracts conscious consumers and investors.
- Improved management: Provides a detailed diagnosis and support for continuous improvement.
- Greater attractiveness: Strengthens the institutional image.
Certification is available to a wide range of tourism industry players, such as destinations, hotels, travel agencies, tour operators, restaurants, attractions, and events. The process involves steps such as application, initial assessment, improvement plan, external audit, and obtaining the seal.
Examples of global success include destinations such as Barcelona, Thompson Okanagan (Canada), the Historic Villages of Portugal, Gran Canaria, and Tenerife. Companies such as FC Barcelona, the Barcelona International Convention Centre (CCIB), Quinta do Tedo (Portugal), Your Hotel & Spa Alcobaça (Portugal), and Viagens Abreu (Portugal) have also obtained the certification.
Strategic Dialogue: Measurement and Certification Working Together
The relationship between SF-MST and Certification Biosphere Sustainable It is complementary and strategic. While the SF-MST provides the robust framework for measuring and understanding tourism sustainability based on statistical data and concepts, the Certification Biosphere Sustainable It offers a practical and recognized mechanism for companies and destinations to demonstrate and validate their commitment to sustainability.
By organizing data on economic, environmental, and social dimensions, SF-MST creates a valuable informational base that can support and enrich certification processes such as Biosphere. For example:
- Data on resource use (water, energy), waste generation, and GHG emissions collected following the SF-MST concepts can provide quantitative evidence of a company's or destination's environmental practices, essential for certification audits.
- Information on the impact of tourism on local ecosystems and biodiversity can be used by destinations to assess the effectiveness of their conservation policies, which are a key component of sustainability.
- Measures regarding employment characteristics, distribution of economic benefits, and host community perceptions aligned with the SF-MST can help companies and destinations understand and enhance their social impact, a key aspect assessed by Biosphere.
In essence, the SF-MST provides the "lens" to measure and analyze the sustainability of tourism in a consistent and comparable way, while the Biosphere Sustainable Certification It functions as a "seal of approval" that validates an entity's efforts to achieve high sustainability standards, as defined by the SDGs. Companies and destinations seeking Biosphere Certification, by implementing concrete actions, inevitably generate data and insights that align with the measurement themes proposed by SF-MST.
Girus Tourism Solutions and a Sustainable Future
Girus Soluções em Turismo plays a key role as the commercial representative of the Certificate. Biosphere Sustainable In Brazil, by assisting destinations and companies in the certification process, Girus not only guides them in adopting global best practices aligned with the SDGs, but also implicitly encourages them to develop management and monitoring systems that generate valuable data for understanding their sustainability footprint.
In this context, knowledge and the eventual application of the SF-MST principles can offer deeper analytical support for entities seeking or already holding Biosphere Certification, enabling more evidence-based sustainability management and more transparent communication of their impact.
In short, the journey towards truly sustainable tourism in Brazil and the world involves both rigorous measurement and validation through credible certifications. The SF-MST provides the foundation for the former, while the Biosphere Sustainable Certificate, with the support of Girus Soluções em Turismo, enables the latter, propelling the sector towards a more prosperous and responsible future.
If you want to make your company or destination more sustainable, increase your competitiveness, and gain international recognition, contact us to learn more about our services. Biosphere Sustainable And how can we help with the certification process?