Overview
ISO 23405:2022 - Tourism and related services - Sustainable tourism - Principles, vocabulary and model - defines the fundamental concepts, principles and a practical model for sustainable tourism. Applicable to private and public organizations and destinations of any size or location, this ISO standard provides a common vocabulary and baseline framework to guide sustainable tourism development, policy and management across the environmental, social and economic dimensions.
Key topics and technical requirements
ISO 23405:2022 focuses on clear, non-prescriptive guidance rather than prescriptive metrics. Key topics and requirements include:
- Terms and vocabulary: Unified definitions for sustainability, sustainable development, sustainable tourism, sustainability aspects, sustainability objectives and impacts - covering environmental, social and economic dimensions.
- Environmental topics: Climate change adaptation and mitigation, environmental impact, biodiversity conservation, natural protected areas and carrying capacity.
- Economic topics: Corporate responsibility, economic impact and circular economy principles for keeping materials and resources in productive use.
- Social topics: Accessibility, universal design, community rights and social wellbeing.
- Principles of sustainable tourism: Nine core principles such as managing tourism effectively; guaranteeing rights of local communities; conserving nature and biodiversity; respecting cultural heritage; stimulating social and economic development; assuring product/process quality; health, safety and security; legal compliance; and emergency preparedness.
- Sustainable tourism model: A conceptual model to help organizations and destinations structure sustainable tourism policies and actions.
- Alignment with global goals: Annex linking sustainable tourism principles to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Note: ISO 23405 provides definitions and a model rather than numeric performance targets or prescriptive controls.
Applications and who uses it
ISO 23405:2022 is useful for a wide range of stakeholders involved in tourism and related services:
- Tourism destinations and destination managers
- Public authorities, planning and regulatory bodies
- Accommodation providers, tour operators, restaurants, attractions and service suppliers
- Certification bodies and auditors as a vocabulary and principles reference
- Policy makers, sustainability officers and community organizations
- Training providers and tourism consultants
Typical uses include policy development, stakeholder engagement, sustainability strategy alignment, baseline vocabulary for certification schemes, risk/impact assessment (e.g., carrying capacity, biodiversity impacts), and mapping tourism actions to the SDGs.
Related standards
- ISO 21401 (sustainable management for accommodation) and ISO 20611 (destination management concepts) are referenced in the context of shared concepts and complementary guidance.
Keywords: ISO 23405:2022, sustainable tourism, tourism standard, principles, vocabulary, sustainable development, SDGs, tourism destinations, tourism sustainability model.
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