BANGKOK, 19 September 2019: Planet Happiness and the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) have signed a partnership that will improve sustainability standards in tourism as well as impact reporting in tourism destinations.
They will work together to promote mutual understanding of each other’s work among their members and partners. They will also engage in a range of topics related to the adoption of sustainability standards, especially in destination planning and sustainability reporting.
In an age where overtourism is of growing concern, Planet Happiness aims to show that measuring host well-being in tourism destinations is as important as counting Gross Domestic Product, profits, income and visitor numbers.
The partners claim it provides a more rounded, inclusive and assured pathway to destination sustainability.
The Happiness Index survey, promoted by Planet Happiness is currently available in 21 languages. It includes indicators for satisfaction with life, access to nature and arts, community engagement, the standard of living, life-long learning and health.
GSTC creates and manages global sustainable standards, known as the GSTC Criteria: Destination Criteria for public policy-makers and destination managers and Industry Criteria for hotels and tour operators.
The two organisations signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) earlier this month. It provides a framework for Planet Happiness to promote GSTC criteria in its project sites around the world. The MOU also determines how measuring host happiness and well being can contribute towards destination sustainability.
“With the MOU, Planet Happiness will promote its happiness and well-being agenda among GSTC members,” said Planet Happiness co-founder and director, Dr Paul Rogers.
“The Happiness Index survey is perhaps the best, most progressive, adaptable and easy to use happiness survey on the planet. Its use allows destinations to engage host communities more directly in tourism planning,” said Rogers.
On signing the MOU, GSTC CEO Randy Durband said that the long-term viability of tourism sites depended on the industry’s ability to improve the quality of life of host communities and engage local people more directly in tourism development issues. “Planet Happiness looks forward to embracing more partners and to providing governments, universities and travel industry players around the world with the model and survey tools to measure, track and strengthen destination well-being,” said Rogers.
