Congratulations to all recipients of the Eco-certified Tourism Destination program by the Queensland Government Department of Tourism, Innovation and Sport (QTIS), providing up to $2 million in funding for local government areas to participate or expand their destination sustainability certification.
16 Councils and regional tourism organisations will receive grant funding of up to $150,000 to support them to achieve globally recognised certification, positioning Queensland as a leader in sustainable tourism.
Ecotourism Australia CEO, Ms Elissa Keenan, welcomes the announcement and is looking forward to working with Bundaberg, Scenic Rim, Townsville, Cassowary Coast, Gladstone, Gympie, Livingstone, Winton, and Mackay Councils in the coming months.
“Ecotourism Australia welcomes our new destinations; we look forward supporting our regions deliver improvements to sustainable practice, better position the destination as a sustainable, and respond to visitor demand for high-quality tourism experience”
By becoming a certified ECO Destination, regions will join an established global network of over 200 like-minded destinations striving for ecotourism excellence. Ecotourism Australia’s ECO Destination Certification program uses the international Green Destinations framework recognised by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), to assess a destination across multiple criteria.
“We commend the Queensland Government for this pioneering grant scheme, which supports the THRIVE 2030 national strategy. We look forward to all states and territories championing the adoption of quality standards and growing participation in quality sustainability certification schemes,” Ms Keenan said.