How Türkiye is leading the way in sustainable tourism regulation with GSTC standards

Professor Hasan Ali Karasar, Rector, Cappadocia University

“We adopted GSTC’s Standards and parameters into Türkiye’s ecosystem, and it became a regulation. We are proud to say that Türkiye is the first country all over the world who made sustainable tourism standards an official regulation.”

— Professor Hasan Ali Karasar

Türkiye takes the lead – introducing GSTC Standards into regulation

Professor Hasan Ali Karasar brings both academic rigour and activist roots to his role as Rector of Cappadocia University, and to Türkiye’s tourism transformation, helping to place sustainability at the centre of Türkiye’s national tourism strategy.

In 2018, when the government and sector leaders came together to develop the country’s first national tourism master plan, the goal wasn’t simply to attract more visitors; it was to provide better services, more effective planning, and a more balanced approach between economic growth and environmental protection.

After much deliberation, Türkiye adopted the GSTC Standards as the foundation for its national regulation on sustainable tourism, becoming the first country in the world to do so at a regulatory level for the accommodation sector. The national master plan is aligned with Türkiye’s wider decarbonization targets under the Paris Agreement, and progress is already being made, with a third of its tourism plan rolled out already.

Türkiye is leading by example in its commitment to sustainability. It is protecting the nation’s future: for its people, for its landscapes, and for the long-term vitality of its tourism industry.