Preferred by Nature Sustainable Travel Activities
TRAVEL
CONFIDENCE HIGH · ANALYSIS ONLY, NOT AN AUDIT OR CERTIFICATION
Our read
This is the live successor to the Rainforest Alliance tourism standards and, on available evidence, the only genuinely GSTC-backed scheme in YKO's travel set. Two distinct facts sit behind that: the standard itself is GSTC-Recognized against both the GSTC Hotel and Tour Operator Industry Criteria, and Preferred by Nature became a GSTC-Accredited certification body on 1 May 2026, valid to 30 April 2031. Recognition covers only the equivalence of the standard's text; accreditation covers the audit programme. Before May 2026, certificates were issued against a recognized standard by a body that was not yet accredited, so certificate age matters when reading a claim. The standard is demanding: every applicable GSTC-equivalent indicator is mandatory, no tolerance percentage applies, and no open non-conformity of any grade permits certification. Its climate principle requires all-scope emissions to be measured, but not reduced by any stated amount, and the full seal is earned by offsetting rather than by cutting. On independence, Preferred by Nature writes the standard, audits against it and issues the mark, and also sells advisory and capacity-building work in tourism. Its Impartiality Policy claims legal and financial separation and bars advisory on closing non-conformities, with oversight from an external Impartiality Committee, but a reader should treat single-organisation scheme ownership as the structural question and GSTC accreditation as the external check on it.
What it covers
- on-site audit against 4 principles and 31 criteria covering management, people, nature and climate
- all applicable GSTC-equivalent indicators mandatory, no percentage-based tolerance thresholds
- greenhouse gas sources across all scopes identified, measured and monitored
- carbon footprint calculated per guest, passenger or trip, with offsetting offered
- ILO fundamental conventions on child labour, forced labour, freedom of association and working hours
- remuneration sufficient for a decent standard of living for the worker and their family
- no conversion or degradation of natural forests and other ecosystems
- worker safety, employer-provided housing, gender equality, Indigenous Peoples' rights and community grievance mechanisms
What it leaves out
Not a criticism of the scheme. A standard is a scope, and this is where this one ends.
- no numeric or absolute emissions reduction target; reduction indicators are effort-based ('efforts are taken to avoid and reduce')
- no science-based target and no independently verified GHG inventory required
- top-tier Preferred by Nature seal is gated on offsetting all emissions, not on measured reductions
- no offset quality standard, vintage or permanence requirement specified in the standard text
- guest long-haul flight emissions addressed by promotion of lower-carbon options and offsetting, not by a reduction requirement
- certificate covers only the sites, services and activities named in the documented audit scope, not the whole company by default
- destinations, MICE and attractions outside the standard's stated scope of accommodations and tour operators
- no public register of individual suspensions or terminations located for this scheme
- no national accreditation body (ISO/IEC 17065-style) above the scheme; GSTC both owns the reference criteria and grants the accreditation
The scheme
| Issued by | Preferred by Nature (formerly NEPCon) |
|---|---|
| Where it applies | Global (GSTC accredited geographic area: Worldwide). Certificate holders concentrated in Latin America and the Caribbean: 60+ certified tourism businesses in Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and South America as of August 2025. |
| Audit and renewal | Three-year certificate. Initial Assessment audit, then two mandatory annual surveillance audits within 60 days before the certificate anniversary, then a reassessment audit to renew for a new three-year cycle. Assessment audit averages three days on site; audits are fully on-site or hybrid with an on-site inspection. |
| Cost | Not published. Priced per quote based on size and complexity; the quote covers auditor fees, independent report review, certification decision and administrative fees, with auditor travel and lodging sometimes excluded. |
What we read
Preferred by Nature Standard for Sustainable Travel Activities V1.1, document dated 01 August 2025 (status: Approved; approval body Preferred by Nature). GSTC officially recognised V1.0 on 05 April 2024. Read alongside the Sustainable Travel Programme Certificate Info Sheet dated 30 August 2025, PBN Certification Governance System (23 April 2025) and PBN Impartiality Policy (13 January 2025).
- standard_version_read, issuer, approval body — Scope: Global. Status of document: Approved. Version 1.1. Date: 01 of August 2025. Approval body: Preferred by Nature
- GSTC-Recognized status of the standard and recognition date — Holding GSTC Recognised status means that the Preferred by Nature Standard for Sustainable Travel Activities V1.1, applicable to Accommodations and Tour Operators has been confirmed equivalent to the GSTC Standard... The Global Sustainable
- GSTC-Recognized against both the Hotel and Tour Operator Industry Criteria — Preferred by Nature Standard for Sustainable Travel Activities... designed to apply to any travel organization, including Accommodations and Tour Operators (entry appears on both the GSTC-Recognized Standards for Hotels list and the GSTC-Re
- GSTC-Accredited certification body status and date (corrects a prior finding of 29 May 2026) — Preferred by Nature... Accreditation Dates: Initial accreditation date: 1 May 2026. Valid until: 30 April 2031. Accredited Tourism Activity for Certification: Hotel/Accommodation, Tour Operator. Reference Standard for Certification: GSTC Ho
- difference between GSTC-Recognized and GSTC-Accredited — GSTC Accredited means that a Certification Body uses the GSTC Standards or another GSTC-Recognized set of standards to certify, AND has undergone a rigorous verification process by the GSTC to verify that their certification program is neut
- GSTC accreditation is administered by GSTC's own assurance staff, not by a national accreditation body for this scheme — Dream&Charme is accredited by Accredia, the Italian National Accreditation Body, which provides accreditation services under a formal agreement with GSTC for certification bodies that operate GSTC Certification in Italy. (No equivalent note
- scope: what kinds of tourism business the standard applies to — The Preferred by Nature Standard for Sustainable Travel Activities V1.1 is applicable to accommodations and tour operators seeking to evaluate, measure and improve its sustainability performance. This covers both, large-scale and small-scal
- audit structure: three-year certificate, two annual surveillance audits, reassessment at renewal — a Preferred by Nature Certificate for Sustainable Travel Activities will be issued for a three-year term or period. During these three years, the certified organisation will be subject to undergo two mandatory annual surveillance audits and
- rigor: mandatory indicators, no tolerance thresholds, no open non-conformities permitted at certification — All applicable indicators equivalent to GSTC Standard are considered mandatory. Therefore, no percentage-based tolerance thresholds are permitted when determining eligibility for certification.
- emissions measurement is required but reduction is effort-based — 4.1.1 Significant greenhouse gas emission sources for all scopes are identified, measured and monitored. 4.1.2 Efforts are taken to avoid and reduce the emission of greenhouse gases resulting from activities and sources controlled and/or in
- top seal gated on offsetting rather than reduction — Tourism organisations that meet all the applicable Indicators... and offset all of their carbon emissions (including most relevant scope 3 emissions) may use the Preferred by Nature Seal... [those that] do not offset all of their carbon emi
- labour goes beyond legal compliance: ILO conventions and decent standard of living — 2.6.2 The remuneration received for a standard work period by a worker in a particular location is sufficient to afford a decent standard of living for the worker and their family. 2.4.2 ILO conventions requirements related to Freedom of As
- certificate covers a defined audit scope; multisite and group certification permitted — A.1 The Organisation shall define and document the products, services and activities provided, as well as the sites included in [the scope]... This includes multisite and group certification, and any case where certain activities are outsou
- enforcement: suspension and termination grounds — Your certification may be suspended for the following reasons: 1. More than five (5) major nonconformities are identified during an annual audit, 2. failure to address non-conformities of any type by the system deadline of 90 days, 3. serio
- scale and geographic concentration of certificate holders; cost structure not published — 60+ certified tourism businesses in Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and South America... The cost varies depending on the size and complexity of the business.
- governance: standard owner and sole certification body, external board, ISEAL alignment — The structure is designed to align with the ISEAL Code of Good Practice governance principles... PBN External Board (BOD): Final decision-making authority on the contents of PBNC sustainability standards, representing external stakeholders.
- dual role and impartiality controls — Preferred by Nature maintains legal and financial separation between our various activity areas to ensure impartiality... Impartiality oversight is conducted by the Quality Unit, by the Impartiality Committee which meets at least annually a
What we could not establish
Version date discrepancy: the task brief and the Preferred by Nature library page metadata give V1.1 as published 20 March 2024, but the current V1.1 PDF served from that page is dated 01 August 2025 and is filed under a 2025-08 path. The standard's own footnote records GSTC recognition of V1.0 on 05 April 2024. Treat the operative text as V1.1 of 01 August 2025. The prior-pass accreditation date of 29 May 2026 is corrected to 1 May 2026, read directly from the GSTC Accredited Certification Bodies page on 26 July 2026. Could not establish: whether Preferred by Nature publishes a searchable public register of travel certificate holders, suspensions or terminations (the certified client list is channelled to OTAs via the GSTC Market Access Programme and the BeCause platform, which is a marketing channel rather than a sanctions log); whether Preferred by Nature holds any national-accreditation-body ISO/IEC 17065 accreditation specific to the travel scheme; the multisite sampling rules, which are not in the standard and sit in a separate certification procedure that was not located; and whether Preferred by Nature is a full ISEAL member as distinct from aligning its governance with the ISEAL Code. Note also a scope inconsistency in the scheme's own material: the standard's Scope section names only accommodations and tour operators, while the certification web page, the info sheet Q&A and the GSTC listing also mention destination management companies, touristic centres and attractions. No independent peer-reviewed or investigative critique of this specific scheme was located. GSTC pages return HTTP 403 to automated fetch tools and were retrieved with a standard browser user agent.
If you hold this certification, it is already on your record. What a buyer cannot see there yet is the evidence behind the parts this standard does not reach.