Banner containing photos from left to right: Ruins of Mayan temples rising out of jungle. Photo Source: Richard Warner; Andean woman selling colorful textiles at open-air market. Photo Source: CAP Project; Tour-fishing boat moored off sandy beach. Photo Source: Chris Howell; African woman in colorful dress and turban. Photo Source: Denise Mortimer; Intricate monastery architecture in Bulgarian mountain setting. Photo Source: BCEG Project, Bulgaria

Global Sustainable Tourism Alliance

 USAID: From The American People

The Global Sustainable Tourism Alliance (GSTA) is a single award, five-year Leader with Associates (LWA) cooperative agreement funded by USAID. Its purpose is twofold: to advance the state-of-the-practice in sustainable tourism development and allied fields; and to assist USAID Missions and other operating units to design and implement innovative, integrated, and market-based tourism approaches that will foster sustainable futures for individuals, local communities, and societies in USAID-presence countries.

GSTA Support for USAID Development:

  • Upgrade local/indigenous SMME-level capabilities (e.g., improve products, processes, and capacity, and capture market segments);
  • Improve sector support and markets (e.g., financial, cross-cutting);
  • Improve cooperation and linkages along the value chain to stimulate growth, create economies of scale, increase bargaining power, and generate investment;
  • Foster development of an enabling environment by addressing the policy framework and working with global, regional, national platforms, fora, mechanisms, and governing bodies;
  • Improve destination market opportunities and growth through cluster development that increases efficiencies of SMMEs, services, product delivery, and offerings to meet changing demands;
A Global Sustainable Tourism Alliance brochure depicting a man in bright blue shirt looking up into forest canopy through binoculars, a vivid pink and cream flower, a smiling girl in blue dress and head-wrap in front of blue-shuttered building, and a colorful woven basket. Source: AED
USAID’s Global Sustainable Tourism
Alliance is a new Leader with Associates
mechanism promoting partnerships among
international tourism organizations to
support tourism education, planning,
development, and implementation
worldwide.

  • Conserve biodiversity through a threats-based approach, increasing capacity of protected area management and visitor services;
  • Maximize tourism’s contribution to conserving cultural heritage and minimize negative sociocultural impacts through community-based approaches; and
  • Promote sustainable tourism development standards.
 
USAID's Sustainable Tourism Assessment
Training
Resources
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