The path to certification

Since 2023, the Municipality of Montepulciano has been pursuing international sustainable tourism certification, a goal achieved in February 2024 and confirmed in March 2025. To date, Montepulciano is the first small- and medium-sized municipality to be certified as a sustainable destination according to the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC-D) criteria.

The official certification ceremony took place on March 2, 2024, in the presence of city authorities and stakeholders involved in the certification process (photo below). In March 2025, the certification was renewed following an in-depth audit conducted by Vireo Srl, a GSTC-accredited body, which examined various aspects of the area’s tourism organization and management. The certifiers visited the municipal area, met with private hospitality operators, and interviewed municipal staff to assess the effective implementation of the sustainability principles set forth in the standard.

The Global Sustainable Tourism Council

It is an international body born from the push of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), to promote the sustainability and social responsibility of the tourism system.

The project partners

An operational task force was established consisting of Valoritalia Srl (one of the leading internationally recognized professionals in the certification sector), the University of Siena, the Consorzio del Vino Nobile, the Strada del Vino Nobile di Montepulciano e dei Sapori della Valdichiana Senese, and the Arezzo-Siena Chamber of Commerce, in addition to an operational team within the administration. Territori Sostenibili has since taken over from Valoritalia Srl as the project’s technical partner.

2024 and 2025 certification

An Action Plan has been prepared to guide actions regarding tourism according to the precise standard criteria identified at an international level by the same GSTC. For each action, one or more of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have been identified, which must help the tourist destination Montepulciano contribute to the achievement of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Montepulciano is taking many steps, shared with local operators and institutions, to improve its tourist destination with a view to sustainability.

Useful Documents and Information

In this section of the website, we share our commitment to a sustainable future, which has already borne fruit (documents in Italian):

• Sustainability Policies of the Tourist Destination
• Sustainability Handbook for Companies
• Tourism Data Report in Montepulciano
• Why Sustainability Certification is Important (link)
• GSTC Certification 2024 – Useful Documents (link)
• GSTC Certification 2025 – Useful Documents (link)
• Some Useful Links and Documents