Through a partnership with the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), TrainingAid offers regular online training courses that look in depth into the GSTC Criteria - the global baseline standard for sustainability in travel and tourism - and its application. The training program is delivered as 4-week-long scheduled, instructor-led online courses, combining the convenience of online learning with the benefits of interactive people-focused learning to optimize results for busy professionals.
TrainingAid
Implemented in
- Africa
- Asia / Pacific
- Europe and Central Asia
- Latin America / Caribbean
- Middle East
- North America
Led by
Sectors of activity
Culture and recreation, Tourism, Transport
Type of initiative
Capacity Building & Implementation, Education & Awareness Raising
Type of lead actor
Business Sector
Submitted on:
12/01/2018Objectives
The online courses help extend the reach of the GSTC Sustainable Tourism Training Program (STTP), allowing for more participants, including those in locations where onsite training classes are not yet available, to take advantage of the training opportunity.
With the goal of sharing the benefits of professional development opportunities in sustainable tourism with a wider audience, for each of the GSTC STTP online courses a limited number of need-based discounts are available, designed for current students and professionals who demonstrate genuine needs (those working in emerging destinations, those working with micro-businesses and community organizations).
In addition to offering an in-depth look into the GSTC Criteria, the global baseline standard for sustainability in travel and tourism, the STTP online course encourages tourism industry professionals to learn from international and local best practices, and plan and implement specific actions to improve their own sustainability practices.
As a result of participating in the training, course participants are able to complete the training requirements towards earning the GSTC Certificate in Sustainable Tourism, which demonstrates certificate holders' knowledge of the GSTC Criteria and ability to apply best practice recommendations into action.
Activities
As collected through the One Planet Reporting
Output level
Training for SCP
-
Online facilitated training course on the Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria
Online facilitated training course on the Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria
Regions
Online activity
Lead organization
TrainingAid, Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC)
Objective
- To engage a wide range of tourism industry stakeholders in learning and networking opportunities through a facilitated online course. The online course offers a flexible learning environment ideal for busy professionals, while helping make more accessible valuable opportunities to learn from international experts and to connect with like-minded fellow sustainable tourism practitioners from around the world. - To increase the awareness and knowledge of the GSTC Criteria. Using the GSTC Criteria, the baseline standard for sustainability in travel and tourism, the training curriculum covers each section of the GSTC Criteria in detail (sustainability management, socioeconomic impacts and local community benefits, cultural heritage protection and promotion, and environmental conservation and resource management), by providing best practice guidelines supported by local, regional and international case studies. - To help tourism industry professionals improve their sustainability practices. To support this goal, the online courses include video lessons on the GSTC Criteria by GSTC trainers, additional resources and reading materials to help reinforce the knowledge of key issues and solutions (e.g. sustainable destination management, effective resource management, reducing GHG emissions), discussion forums, weekly live webinars presenting industry case studies, and group exercises.
Achievements
The online training courses have been well received by the participants. In addition to the knowledge of our trainers and guest expert presenters, many participants commented on the added value of being able to learn along side a diverse group of industry professionals from around the world. The interactive course components (e.g. exchanging ideas and sharing examples through discussion forums; learning from guest expert presenters through live webinars, and working with fellow classmates on group exercises) were the most positively received aspect of the training program. Based on the feedback and recommendations we've received from participants, we are working on developing additional courses that would be "advanced" options for those who have already completed the GSTC course or those who are already experienced in the field.
Impact and Results
The first online courses in 2017 have been delivered successfully, with positive comments and recommendations from participants, such as:
“The STTP programme has been a good introduction to the principles of sustainable tourism. It was a good mix of presentations and cases of sustainable tourism in real-life, insights from experts from various countries and across tourism sectors and explanation of key GSTC criteria. Participants were encouraged to share their experiences and observations through discussion forums and presentations, which made the sessions more lively. The final exam is recommended for those who wish to test their ability to put these principles to practice. I highly recommend this course to tourism industry professionals wishing to incorporate sustainable tourism management at work.” – Rajesh Nambiar, Executive Vice-President, Ottila International
“The GSTC training was a great first touch point for me into the world of sustainable tourism and destination management. I loved hearing case studies from around the world and real life examples on how the GSTC criteria can make a difference. The course has enabled me to start building on these criteria within my job.” – Pia Ametsbichler, Director of Global Sales, Preferred Hotels & Resorts
“As I joined the course in April 2017, the first impression was the organization, it was perfect regarding the admin efforts and the learning tools. The course materials were really useful, as well as the live sessions from which I gained a deep understanding and experience from the other participants. I really want to have the chance to thank all the team who was involved, and of course I would recommend people working in the tourism industry to join this course.” – Maged Gendy, Senior Technical Advisor, Oman Ministry of Tourism
In addition, many participants have reported that they've implement specific action steps as a result of the information and inspiration they gained through the course - for example: starting a weekly staff email with sustainability tips; offering employee incentive for using public transport; organizing an educational session around food waste; etc.
Next steps and how to get involved
Tourism professionals interested in sustainability: The GSTC Sustainable Tourism Training Program is open to anyone interested in sustainable tourism. If you would like to strengthen your knowledge and improve your sustainability practices, please consider joining one of our upcoming courses. https://www.trainingaid.org/sustainable-tourism-training-gstc-certificate
Sustainable tourism practitioners: If you are interested in being part of the online course as a guest expert presenter, please feel free to contact us and let us know about the example or case study you'd be able to present on. We are looking for practical lessons on putting into action key aspects of the recommendations of the GSTC Criteria.
Organizations: If you are interested in training your team, or would like to take advantage of our group discount (5+ people), do let us know. We also have options for tailored training for organizations.