The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has unveiled two new initiatives to bolster sustainable tourism and support the Singapore Green Plan 2030.

The first is the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) Attraction Criteria, the world’s first global standard specifically designed for attractions; the second is the MICE Venue Sustainability Playbook, a comprehensive guide to enhancing green practices in the Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE) industry.

These were announced by Minister of State for Trade & Industry, and Culture, Community and Youth, Mr Alvin Tan at the GSTC Global Sustainable Tourism Conference, hosted in Singapore for the first time last week.

STB’s chief sustainability officer, Ms Ong Huey Hong, said: “These initiatives are pivotal in positioning Singapore as a leading sustainable urban destination and demonstrating our commitment to sustainability. By developing world-class standards and providing the industry with practical tools, we are not only enhancing our own tourism sector but also contributing to global sustainability efforts in tourism.”

GSTC Attraction Criteria

Developed with support from STB, the GSTC Attraction Criteria aims to serve as the global sustainability standard for attractions and provides a common understanding of sustainable practices for attractions worldwide. This is the first-ever global standard specifically designed for attractions. Attractions can expect to apply for the certification in early 2026, after the onboarding and GSTC accreditation of certification bodies in 2025.

MICE Venue Sustainability Playbook

In 2023, Singapore pioneered a national MICE Industry Carbon and Waste Baseline exercise, making it one of the first countries in the world to do so. As venues are a vital part of the MICE ecosystem, the exercise was an aggregated baseline of sustainability data points from Singapore’s six purpose-built MICE venues, focusing on energy, water and waste.

With the insights gained from this exercise, STB has launched the MICE Venue Sustainability Playbook, which can help MICE venues manage their carbon emissions. The Playbook is designed to offer practical recommendations for MICE venues to enhance their energy efficiency, waste management, and water conservation efforts, in line with advancing their sustainability ambitions.

The playbook features a decarbonisation framework, best practices from purpose-built MICE venues and international counterparts, and a consolidation of whole-of-government support schemes to drive decarbonisation across Singapore’s MICE venues.

The announcements follow the launch of STB’s Legacy Toolkit earlier this year, designed to assist meeting planners and business event organisers better understand legacy and impact, and embark on creating their own.

STB has been making good progress on its sustainability goals and just last month emerged as the top Asia Pacific destination and the seventh globally, in the Global Destination Sustainability Index (GDS-I) 2024 rankings. There has been a concerted effort by STB and the industry towards achieving the targets set out in the MICE and Hotel Sustainability Roadmaps, and both continue to work closely to achieve them.