GSTC in Practice: How We Support Hotels in Presenting Cultural Heritage & Local Culture in Meaningful, Responsible, and Traceable Ways – Hospitality Net

Report on Integrating Cultural Heritage in Hospitality to Advance Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction: Aligning Tourism with Global Sustainability Mandates

The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) Criteria, specifically Section C, mandates that sustainable tourism extends beyond environmental concerns to encompass the protection of cultural heritage, the reinforcement of local identity, and respectful engagement between guests and host communities. This framework requires hospitality providers to demonstrate meaningful, responsible, and traceable methods of cultural interaction and presentation. This report outlines strategies employed by GCS TIMES GROUP COMPANY LIMITED (GCSTIMES) to assist hotels in meeting these criteria, thereby directly contributing to the achievement of several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Core Strategies for SDG-Aligned Cultural Integration

Strategy 1: Product-Based Cultural Storytelling

GCSTIMES facilitates the integration of authentic cultural elements into tangible guest touchpoints. This approach transforms everyday items into vessels for cultural narrative, supporting SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), particularly Target 11.4, which focuses on safeguarding cultural heritage.

• Culturally Integrated Key Cards: Custom-shaped key cards are designed to reflect local building silhouettes, city landmarks, native patterns, or festival symbols. This initiative turns a functional item into a daily reinforcement of the destination’s cultural identity.
• Custom Cultural Souvenirs & In-Room Items: Products such as refrigerator magnets, Do Not Disturb (DND) hangers, and table signs are designed with heritage architecture, native flora, or traditional motifs. These items provide guests with a deeper connection to the local culture.

Strategy 2: Fostering Local Economies and Responsible Production

The production process emphasizes local collaboration and sustainable materials, aligning with SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production).

1. Community Collaboration: Where applicable, collaborations are established with community artists and cultural organizations. This practice supports local artisans and economies, directly contributing to SDG 8.9, which aims to promote local culture and products through sustainable tourism.
2. Sustainable Material Sourcing: The use of natural materials, such as plant-based leather and wood, connects product design with environmental responsibility. This commitment to sustainable procurement is a core tenet of SDG 12.

Framework for Accountability and Reporting in Line with SDG 12

Audit Documentation and Traceability Support

To ensure transparency and accountability, GCSTIMES provides a structured documentation package for GSTC audits. This service directly supports SDG 12.b, which calls for monitoring the impacts of sustainable tourism.

• Provenance and Rationale: Documentation includes the sources of cultural elements and the rationale for their selection.
• Collaboration Records: Methods of collaboration with local communities, artisans, and stakeholders are detailed.
• Design Narrative: A comprehensive description explains how cultural identity is presented throughout guest spaces.
• Sustainability Alignment: The documentation demonstrates how cultural integration initiatives support broader environmental and social responsibility goals, creating a holistic report on SDG contributions.

Organizational Profile: GCSTIMES

Mission and Global Operations

Since 2011, GCSTIMES has evolved from smart card research and development to a global platform for sustainable solutions. The organization’s mission is to integrate sustainability into technology, making it purposeful for human progress and cultural preservation. Its services, delivered through brands such as GCS, AUROkeys, Xenyra, and Glint Spot, extend to over 140 countries, supporting more than 100,000 international hospitality clients in their pursuit of low-carbon development and sustainability objectives.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
• SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
   • Target 8.9: By 2030, devise and implement policies to promote sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products.
   • Explanation: The article focuses on the hospitality industry, a key component of tourism. By helping hotels integrate “authentic cultural elements” and create “Custom Cultural Souvenirs,” the initiative directly promotes local culture and products. The collaboration with “community artists or cultural organizations” supports local artisans and contributes to the local economy.
2. SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
   • Target 11.4: Strengthen efforts to protect and safeguard the world’s cultural and natural heritage.
   • Explanation: The core theme of the article is supporting hotels in “protecting cultural heritage, strengthening local identity, and ensuring respectful guest–community engagement.” The services offered, such as creating key cards inspired by “local building silhouettes, city landmarks” and documenting the “sources & provenance of cultural elements,” are direct efforts to safeguard and present cultural heritage in a responsible manner.
3. SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
   • Target 12.6: Encourage companies, especially large and transnational companies, to adopt sustainable practices and to integrate sustainability information into their reporting cycle.
   • Explanation: The article explicitly states that GCSTIMES supports hotels with “sustainability reporting” by providing a “structured documentation package that hotels can submit directly to auditors.” This directly encourages and facilitates the integration of sustainability information into the hotels’ reporting and auditing processes, aligning with GSTC standards. The mention of “low-carbon procurement” and using “natural materials such as plant-based leather or wood” also points to sustainable consumption and production patterns.
4. SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
   • Target 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships.
   • Explanation: The article highlights collaboration as a key method. It mentions that “we also collaborate with community artists or cultural organizations” and documents the “methods of collaboration with local communities, artisans, cultural groups, or tourism stakeholders.” This demonstrates the formation of partnerships between the private sector (hotels, GCSTIMES) and civil society (local artists, cultural groups) to achieve sustainability goals.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

1. For Target 8.9 (Promote local culture and products in tourism):
   • Implied Indicator: The number and variety of locally-themed products developed and integrated into hotel operations.
   • Explanation: The article details the creation of “Culturally Integrated Key Card Design,” “Custom Cultural Souvenirs,” and “In-Room Cultural Items.” Tracking the development and use of these items serves as a measure of how local culture and products are being promoted.
2. For Target 11.4 (Protect and safeguard cultural heritage):
   • Implied Indicator: The number of hotels with documented strategies for cultural heritage presentation.
   • Explanation: The “Cultural Design Statement” provided to hotels is a form of documented strategy. It includes the “sources & provenance of cultural elements” and a “design narrative describing how cultural identity is presented.” The existence and submission of this documentation for GSTC audits is a clear indicator of efforts to safeguard cultural heritage.
3. For Target 12.6 (Adopt sustainable practices and reporting):
   • Indicator: The number of hotels utilizing structured documentation for sustainability audits.
   • Explanation: The article explicitly offers a “structured documentation package that hotels can submit directly to auditors.” The number of hotels that adopt this service is a direct measure of companies integrating sustainability information into their reporting cycle.
4. For Target 17.17 (Promote partnerships):
   • Indicator: The number of collaborations established with local artists, communities, and cultural organizations.
   • Explanation: The article mentions that its documentation support includes detailing the “methods of collaboration with local communities, artisans, cultural groups, or tourism stakeholders.” Tracking the number and nature of these partnerships is a direct way to measure progress towards this target.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: hospitalitynet.org