Great Barrier Reef, QLD. Credit: Tourism Australia
Global Best Practice
One of the most valuable benefits of being certified with Ecotourism Australia is that your ECO or Sustainable Tourism Certification is recognised as meeting global best practice standards. But what does that actually mean, and why should it matter to your business, travellers and partners?
Ecotourism Australia combines local expertise with global reach: we have both a deep understanding of the Australian tourism landscape, and our programs are aligned with the global sustainability frameworks that travellers, governments and partners already trust.
Global best practice reflects both what is assessed and how it is assessed. Ecotourism Australia’s certification programs are built on more than 300 criteria across the four pillars of sustainable tourism: environmental, socio-economic, cultural and sustainable management. These criteria are supported by robust assurance processes that ensure every certification decision is evidence-based, consistent and independently verified. Our standards are continually reviewed and updated to reflect new regulatory requirements, emerging sustainability priorities and the expectations of industry, governments and communities.
Ecotourism Australia is proud to have developed the world’s first national ecotourism certification program over 25 years ago. Since then, we have shared our standards internationally and helped drive global adoption of high-integrity sustainability practices. Today, the credibility of our programs is anchored in seven core principles recognised worldwide as the foundation of trustworthy certification, ensuring that our programs remain transparent, rigorous and aligned with international best practice.
Our Principles
1.
Transparency
Transparency underpins trust. Travellers, industry and partners need to clearly understand what we assess and how certification is awarded.
What this means in practice:
- Publicly available standards – find the criteria for our ECO Certification program here and Sustainable Tourism Certification here.
- Clear, published processes outlining the certification process.
- Criteria reviews are conducted in consultation with key stakeholders from across the tourism and sustainability sectors
- A public directory of certified operators and destinations supporting openness and accountability – access our Green Travel Guide here.
2.
Accountability
Best-practice must ensure operators not only meet the standard upon being awarded certification, but continue to maintain it.
Our accountability systems include:
- A rigorous compliance framework covering application, auditing and ongoing monitoring.
- Formal processes for handling non-conformities, including corrective actions, time-bound follow-up, review and verification.
- A clear escalation system that can lead to suspension or cancellation of certification when standards are not met.
This commitment to accountability protects the integrity of the certification and the trust placed in it by travellers and partners.
3.
Objectivity
Objectivity ensures that certification outcomes are impartial, credible and free from conflicts of interest. This is where all auditing and assurance processes come in.
Independent third-party auditing
- All audits are conducted by qualified, independent third-party auditors — not Ecotourism Australia staff or consultants who have helped operators meet criteria.
- Our auditors must hold relevant qualifications, maintain professional independence, and meet strict competency requirements including ISO-aligned auditing standards and sustainability expertise.
Verification and evidence
- Certification decisions rely on documented evidence, including site visits, management system reviews, supporting records, and for destination certification, stakeholder interviews.
- Every audit report undergoes internal quality checks to ensure consistency and correct interpretation of criteria.
Ongoing verification
- Certified operators undergo on-site re-audits every three years to maintain certification.
- Non-conformities are classified as ‘corrective actions’ and must be resolved within set timeframes before certification can be renewed.
Separation of roles
- Standard-setting, auditing and certification decisions are clearly separated to ensure objectivity.
Understanding levels of verification
Organisations formally recognising or acknowledging certification labels as global best practice look for a clear separation between standard-setting and auditing, supported by independent, third-party verification that includes on-site assessments, document reviews, stakeholder consultations, and traceable evidence of compliance.
There are multiple types of controls for verification used by programs and labels.
- Third party verification means the auditing activities are 100% independent from the operator or destination. This is the process we use to assess and verify for ECO and Sustainable Tourism Certification of tourism operators and destinations.
- Second party verification means the organisation that carries out the audit or assessment activity uses internal staff to undertake the review, and therefore is not independently verified. Ecotourism Australia’s pre-certification benchmark tool the Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard uses second party verification.
- First party verification means there is no independent audit/assessment – for example a checklist is self-assessed and completed with no further verification.
4.
A Holistic Approach
Global best practice requires assessing more than environmental performance. Ecotourism Australia’s standards are based on the four pillars of sustainability, aligned with internationally recognised frameworks.
We assess:
- Environmental impacts — nature conservation, biodiversity, energy, water, waste, climate actions.
- Socio-economic impacts — local employment, fair work, community benefit.
- Cultural impacts — respect for Traditional Owners, cultural protection and authentic interpretation.
- Sustainable management — governance, risk management, planning, monitoring, and continuous improvement.
5.
Continuous Improvement
Sustainability is evolving, and credible certification must evolve with it.
How we embed continuous improvement:
- Regular reviews and updates of all criteria, guidance and assurance processes.
- Alignment with changing global standards and integration of emerging regulatory requirements (e.g., global anti-greenwashing rules, EU consumer protection directives).
- One-on-one coaching for operators that help them progress their business from compliance to leadership.
Our standards have evolved significantly since we launched the world’s first national ecotourism certification program over 25 years ago, and will continue evolving with the sector.
6.
Legitimacy
Legitimacy means our programs are internationally recognised as credible sustainability labels. This recognition comes through promotion by global platforms such as Booking.com and Google, through our partnerships with global organisations such as UN Tourism and Green Destinations, and through our work with government, including Tourism Australia, Austrade, and many state and local government bodies.
Ecotourism Australia is a founding member of the Tourism Sustainability Certifications Alliance (TSCA), which unites the world’s leading sustainable tourism certification bodies to align minimum criteria and auditing processes. Collectively, TSCA members currently certify more than 19,000 travel and tourism enterprises, organisations and destinations worldwide.
For a full list of bodies that recognise our certification programs, please visit our Global Recognition page.
This legitimacy ensures travellers, partners and regulators can trust ECO and Sustainable Tourism Certification as a high-integrity sustainability label.
7.
International Alignment
To provide value for travellers and partners worldwide, certification must reflect global expectations. While certification is not yet mandatory in Australia, its importance is rapidly increasing as global markets, governments, and consumers demand greater proof of credible sustainability performance. With international frameworks such as the EU’s Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive tightening scrutiny on environmental claims, certified businesses will be far better positioned to access global markets, win tenders, and build trust with travellers, partners, and regulators.
Our standards and processes align with:
- The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) — with criteria mapped directly to key SDGs such as climate action, biodiversity, fair work and community benefit.
- Tourism Sustainability Certifications Alliance (TSCA) – ensuring alignment of minimum criteria and auditing processes across global certification bodies.
- International norms for independent third-party certification, including ISO requirements on impartiality, auditor conduct and assurance.
- Expectations set by leading travel authorities such as Travalyst and ABTA, which require transparent criteria, independent audits and appeals and complaints mechanisms.
This alignment ensures that operators certified by Ecotourism Australia are recognised and trusted globally.
Global best practice certification requires commitment, but the benefits are significant. As traveller demand for genuinely sustainable experiences continues to grow and scrutiny of environmental claims becomes stronger worldwide, independent certification protects your business from greenwashing risks, strengthens your marketing credibility, and enhances your visibility on global booking platforms. It also helps you meet emerging policy and regulatory expectations and sets your business on a pathway of continuous improvement.
Being certified with Ecotourism Australia isn’t just about meeting a standard; it’s about securing a competitive edge in a tourism landscape where trust, transparency and sustainability matter more than ever.