Destination Specialist Agency
Surry Hills, New South Wales
Completed the Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard
Transforming places, destinations and experiences so they thrive. The destination specialist agency setting a new standard for destination branding, marketing and management.
Destination Store (DS) is a destination specialist agency that develops new solutions for leading destinations. With extensive experience delivering projects relating to the sustainable growth of the visitor economy, DS brings an integrated and wholistic approach to destination management and marketing.
Sustainability is central to Destination Store’s operations. Through their work with destinations, they develop brands and strategies that deliver positive environmental outcomes for communities, while embedding responsible practices across their own business – from supporting environmental and cultural not-for-profits to reducing emissions and continually evolving how they operate for the long term.
Destination Store completed their first Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard in 2023, achieving a score of 50%. As a marketing business, Destination Store does not meet the same criteria as an operator running a tourism business and therefore cannot undertake a full Ecotourism Australia Certification program. However, as a business operating within the visitor economy, they continue to use the Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard as a robust benchmarking tool – assessing performance across the four pillars of sustainability and guiding continuous improvement in their sustainable business practices.
Since their initial assessment, Destination Store has demonstrated exceptional year-on-year progress, increasing their score to 76% in 2024/25 and achieving an impressive 93% in 2026/27 – reflecting a sustained and strategic commitment to embedding sustainability across their operations.
Destination Stores continued undertaking of the Scorecard is more about the journey than the final number.
“Completing the Scorecard year-on-year allows us to meaningfully track our progress, build team pride, and stay accountable to our values. It also provides a consistent, independent way to demonstrate our long-term commitment to continuous improvement, not just one-off action,” Oliver Batten, Destination Strategy & Impact Lead at Destination Store said.
The Scorecard empowers DS to assess how their operations align with globally recognised sustainable tourism criteria, with personalised feedback and insights to assist them in strengthening their practices.
“The biggest benefit is the clarity [the Scorecard] provides. The structured assessment framework and detailed report help us clearly identify priority actions and areas for improvement, which directly inform our annual DS Impact Plan. It ensures our sustainability efforts are practical, measurable and embedded into how we operate as a business,”
“The report reinforced where we are performing strongly, particularly across cultural respect, socio-economic contribution and sustainable management. It also highlighted specific, actionable gaps, such as the need to consolidate governance documentation and more robustly measure our emissions. Having this level of honest, constructive feedback makes it easier to turn intention into action,” Oliver said.
Destination Store’s sustained three-year commitment to improvement through the Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard sets a compelling example for tourism-aligned businesses and businesses in the broader visitor economy aiming to embed meaningful sustainability outcomes across the communities they serve and the broader tourism supply chain.
“Honestly, I am super proud that we have managed to improve across all four key assessment areas. Jumping from 75% to 95% in socio-economic impacts, and from 75% to 100% in cultural impacts, is incredibly rewarding for the team. It’s reassuring to know our work is contributing positively to the communities and places we partner with.” said Oliver.
It’s incredible to see the Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard being used exactly as intended – celebrating progress, identifying next steps and shaping future impact.
Discover more about Destination Store here.
Destination Store completed their Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard on the 28th of January 2026. The scorecard is not a certification and is valid for 12 months upon completion.
