Staged from 21st to 24th April, the GSTC 2026 Global Sustainable Tourism Conference highlighted the importance of sustainable travel and destination stewardship.

Held simultaneously at the Royal Phuket City Hotel and Courtyard by Marriott Phuket Town, the event brought together tourism professionals, destination representatives, academics, and sustainability experts from around the world to discuss key challenges and practical solutions for advancing sustainable tourism. 

This year’s conference programme centered on three core themes: Sustainable Hospitality, Resilient Cities & Communities, and Carrying Capacity & Visitor Distribution Management.

These thematic tracks provided a clear framework for the sessions, enabling participants to engage with relevant content provided by renowned speakers.

Before the conference, there were a range of GSTC on-site trainings hosted on the 19th and 20th April, offering participants the opportunity to deepen their knowledge through the GSTC Sustainable Tourism Course in English and Thai, the Sustainable MICE Course, the GSTC Sustainable Attraction Course, and two auditor trainings focused on the GSTC Hotel Standard and the GSTC Destination Standard.

This pre-conference programme was followed by the 4th GSTC Academic Symposium on the 21st of April, which brought together researchers, academics, and practitioners for a full day of exchange, collaboration, and discussion on key issues shaping sustainable tourism.

Cabrini: tourism returns as an essential economic activity

The first day of the conference began with welcoming speeches by Luigi Cabrini, GSTC Chair; Surasak Phancharoenworakul, Minister of Tourism and Sports of Thailand; and the Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Thapanee Kiatphaibool. 

As Cabrini put it: “Tourism is back as an essential activity, a creator of jobs and a tool for development, providing social, economic, and environmental benefits.  Sadly, the conflicts that ravage various regions of the world, and in particular the Middle East war, provoke human losses and destruction, and are also impacting tourism flows. Tourism promotes peace, but also needs peace to thrive.”

He outlined GSTC’s strategic goals for the next decade, and envisioned the GSTC acting as a global leader and convening authority for sustainable tourism, driving measurable improvement and accelerating the transition from extractive to sustainable tourism.

Cabrini concluded by saying: “It is an ambitious task, but we believe it can be achieved, thanks to the recognition, support, and encouragement received by the tourism community, represented by you here with us today.” (Full speech can be found here).

A detailed overview

A plenary session on GSTC’s global mission and current activities, presented by GSTC CEO Randy Durband and Dr. Mihee Kang, GSTC’s Chief Assurance Officer, provided attendees with an overview of GSTC’s ongoing work and strategic priorities, highlighting the organization’s role in advancing sustainable tourism globally.

The event featured a wide range of sessions exploring pressing issues in tourism today, including panel discussions on Climate Resilience, Disasters, and Sustainable Recovery, Navigating the Balance of Growth and Livability, Education of Sustainability, Hotel Waste Management and Sustainable Procurement, How Platforms Drive Sustainable Choice at Scale, Accessibility and Slow Travel, among others.

As well as several workshops that complemented the main sessions, and an on-site consultation on the GSTC Destination Standard, which is currently under review.

TAT’s Kiatphaibool was moved to remark: “Hosting the Global Sustainable Tourism Conference 2026 in Phuket marks a significant milestone for Thailand as we continue our journey toward becoming a leading sustainable tourism destination on the global stage. This conference reflects our strong commitment to driving tourism development based on the principle of ‘value over volume,’ while ensuring a balanced approach to visitor management and resource preservation.”

Sustainability in action

As with previous GSTC Conferences, the carbon footprint of the event and the travel of all attendees have been calculated and offset by BIC Event Thailand and TCEB. 

Building on the experience of GSTC2025 Fiji, GSTC continued its collaboration with Reforest for GSTC2026 Phuket. 

Reforest is an Australian social enterprise dedicated to helping travel and events leave destinations better for the climate, nature, and local communities. 

They will plant one tree on behalf of every attendee of the GSTC2026 Global Conference.

During the event, sustainability was integrated into the conference through a range of environmental and operational measures. 

The event avoided polystyrene and foam and sought to minimize single-use plastics across all touchpoints. A digital-first approach was adopted through digital signage, programs, and communications to help reduce paper and plastic waste. 

Reusable lanyards with a minimal, non-event-specific design were used to encourage future reuse, while paper-based name badges replaced plastic holders. 

Sustainability was also reflected in transportation, food and beverage, and community-related aspects of the conference, including post-conference tours and the representation of local service providers and communities. 

Electric shuttle buses were used for airport and event transportation, shared transport was encouraged, and venues were selected within walking distance to reduce transportation needs. 

In the food and beverage offering, locally sourced ingredients were emphasized, vegetarian options were made available alongside responsibly sourced seafood, and water refill stations and reusable water bottles were provided. 

The conference also supported local suppliers and communities, and showcased local arts and performances to promote cultural heritage.