Lanzarote has been chosen as one of the six pilot experiences of "Sustainable Tourist Destinations of the World", a project promoted by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), an organization attached to the United Nations Foundation. It was the tour operator Tui who proposed the island to belong to this Council.
For Tui, a series of conditions and foundations have been established on the island throughout its history that make it "the ideal scenario" for the evaluation of the criteria that will determine which are the sustainable tourist destinations in the world. The other five places that will participate in this pilot experience are Okavango Delta Ramsar Site, in Botswana, Teton County, in the USA, the Caribbean archipelago of St. Kitts and Nevis, the Norwegian fjords and Huangshan, in China.
"Sustainable tourist destinations of the world means obtaining a recognition that guarantees and endorses that the chosen destination meets those and other qualities that make it sustainable. As such, it will be promoted throughout the planet by this United Nations body," they point out from the Cabildo.
After the initial proposal from TUI and the bureaucratic procedures carried out during the last months, the process will experience its third stage with the visit of a consultant who will evaluate the island, between August 5 and 14. The results will be submitted to the board of directors of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council, which will hold a meeting in Washington between September 25 and 27.
During the evaluation of each of the six pilot destinations, the review, modification or cancellation of any of the criteria initially established in this global program may occur, according to the Cabildo. In principle, there are 45 criteria, including, for example, demonstrating effective sustainable management.