The Sustainable Tourism Business standards are your pathway to Qualmark accreditation, which travellers here and overseas rely on when making plans. A comprehensive evaluation by one of our friendly Qualmark Specialists, followed by review meetings every 12 months, is all it takes.
Businesses are awarded Bronze, Silver or Gold when evaluated against the Sustainable Tourism Business standards. There’s also a star rating for accommodation providers, based on the quality of facilities and services.
We recognise that each business is unique in size, capability and resource. Our Qualmark Specialists conduct each evaluation using the Sustainable Tourism Business standards with this in mind.
Our standards are also officially recognised by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), meaning members can be confident that achieving Qualmark certification meets global standards of sustainability.
A Bronze business must meet Qualmark’s 'expected' levels across the Sustainable Tourism Business standards. It identifies a business with high professionalism, an awareness of its impact on the environment and a customer-centric approach.
A Silver business is a sophisticated tourism business that consistently exceeds visitor expectations. Proactive leadership and management ensure a high-performance culture is evident throughout the business. The business will continuously improve its economic, social and environmental performance to ensure the tourism product they deliver is a genuine, sustainable experience.
A Gold business is a best-in-class sustainable tourism business in New Zealand, delivering exceptional customer experiences, an integral part of everything they do. A Gold Sustainable Tourism Accreditation identifies those businesses leading the way in making the New Zealand tourism industry a world-class sustainable visitor destination.
We use a star rating system for accommodation providers only, based on the quality level of facilities and services provided. The result will be a rating from one to five stars.
You will receive a preparation form that we kindly ask you to complete. This provides our Qualmark Specialists with key information that helps them understand your business in more detail and prepare for the evaluation.
Your Qualmark Specialist will evaluate your business based on the information you have provided in advance, along with the answers provided on the day that demonstrate how you bring processes to life in your everyday operations.
Your Qualmark Specialist will provide a report with their findings, your accreditation level, and formulate an action plan of ideas and opportunities to take your business to the next level.
The Sustainable Tourism Business standards sit under five key pillars, Business Systems, Health and Safety, Environment, People and Community & Culture. Altogether these can seem overwhelming! But they are not really - we don’t expect you to have a marketing or HR department as they were created to be relevant for all types and size of business. Read more on these below.
