CIE Tours Achieves Gold Certification From The Sustainable Tourism Network
CIE Tours has officially been awarded Gold Certification from the Sustainable Tourism Network (STN), marking a significant milestone in the company’s long-standing commitment to responsible tourism. Founded in 1932, CIE Tours has welcomed more than 3 million guests on journeys through Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland and beyond – placing community wellbeing, environmental stewardship, and cultural preservation at the heart of every experience.
This achievement follows a rigorous third‑party certification audit, during which CIE Tours earned a 100% score across all mandatory criteria, reflecting its unwavering dedication to sustainability excellence. The Gold Certification assures travellers that choosing CIE Tours actively supports environmental conservation, community development, and the protection of natural and cultural heritage.
Tourism has long been recognised as a force for good – creating vibrant places to work, delivering meaningful visitor experiences, and leaving a positive legacy for both communities and natural landscapes. This belief underpins CIE Tours’ approach to travel and has guided the organisation toward embedding responsible practices across every corner of its operation. The recent Gold Certification from STN reinforces this enduring commitment and signals the next chapter in CIE Tours’ sustainability journey.
The STN certification standard is a rigorous process that requires deep systemic and cultural change within a business. CIE Tours embraced this challenge as an opportunity. With the guidance and support of the STN team, the certification journey has equipped the company with powerful insights, reshaped internal practices, and prepared the organisation for long-term, transformational sustainability progress.
Through the STN programme, CIE Tours has also built a robust foundation for measuring emissions, enabling the organisation to plan consistently for improvement. Among its commitments are: working closely with supply chain partners to advance their carbon-reduction practices; trialling Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) fuel in 2024, expanding its use during the 2025 season, with further expansion in 2026; and strengthening its positive social footprint through support for the ReFarm Burren project and Belvedere Youth Club.
CIE Tours’ sustainability strategy spans its operations, supply chain, guest engagement, and community partnerships. Led by Ken Lyons, Sustainability Manager, the organisation continues to embed sustainability into every facet of decision‑making, demonstrating authentic, measurable, and industry‑leading progress.
Some Of The Highlights Of CIE Tours’ Efforts Include:
CIE Tours is not only working on carbon emissions reductions but is actively empowering local people and nature to thrive. Here are some of the many ways they are having a powerfully positive impact on their internal and external communities, environment, guests and local economies:
- Having a long-lasting impact and influence on guests and their team is imperative to CIE Tours. For the 2025 travel season, CIE Tours enhanced its long-standing pre-departure travel guides, along with related online FAQ content, to include practical advice on waste reduction, water conservation, and the protection of natural heritage. A feedback survey confirmed 80.4% of their travellers noticed a positive shift in their perception of sustainability after travelling with CIE Tours.
- CIE Tours absorbed 100% of the additional cost of HVO fuel, with provisional calculations estimating emissions reductions equivalent to 165 tonnes of CO2e across partner fleets in 2025
- Through its Sustainability Action Fund, the company supports impactful projects including:
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- The ReFarm Project, supporting farming families in The Burren, protecting biodiversity in the region, and scaling up nature-positive practices on farmland across Ireland.
- The Belvedere Youth Club, working to empower, educate, and support young people in Dublin’s north inner city.
- A National Trust for Scotland initiative to preserve Culloden Battlefield through natural land management techniques.
- The UK-based social enterprise Invisible Cities, which supports people with experience of homelessness to become walking tour guides of their own city
- The company was recognised as a Great Place to Work (2024–2025) and is formally committed to the Living Wage.
- CIE Tours leads industry decarbonisation through Sustainability Clinics and helping suppliers measure their emissions using the BeCause.eco platform.
- Cultural heritage is championed through collaborations such as a custom tartan project with the National Trust for Scotland and support for the Project Children 50th Anniversary Celebration.
Comments On The Sustainable Tourism Certification
Speaking on the achievement, Rob Rankin, Director of Sustainable Tourism Network, said:
“CIE Tours’ Gold Certification reflects an exceptional commitment to responsible tourism. Their data-driven management, community impact, and supply chain leadership set a significant benchmark for the sector. This recognition is deeply deserved.”
Stephen Cotter, Managing Director of CIE Tours, commented:
“We are incredibly proud to achieve STN Gold, a milestone that reflects a long-standing commitment embedded in CIE Tours’ DNA well before sustainability became an industry focus. From supporting family-owned businesses across Ireland to operating year-round and dispersing visitors beyond peak season, our model has consistently been rooted in sustaining the communities we serve. This certification formally recognises that commitment and strengthens how we measure and advance it going forward.”
Ken Lyons, Sustainability Manager at CIE Tours, added:
“Achieving STN Gold is a testament to the deep work undertaken across our teams and supply partners. This certification reflects real and measurable progress, from emissions tracking and fuel innovation to community partnerships and guest engagement. It’s not a finish line; it’s a framework that will help us continue to improve year after year.”
The certification process has helped CIE Tours influence mindsets across its team, its suppliers, and its guests – nurturing a shared culture of sustainability among all stakeholders. Guests travelling with CIE Tours receive not only a memorable holiday experience but also an educational journey centred on sustainability and climate action.
If these efforts were adopted industry‑wide – viewing challenges as opportunities for meaningful change – tourism could truly fulfil its potential as a powerful force for good.
