Inaugural Agoda-GSTC collaboration aids hotels in sustainable tourism

A god a has joined forces with the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) to support hotels in developing sustainable tourism practices. Launching first in Singapore, the collaboration will provide sponsored training to 50 local hotel professionals for the Sustainable Hotels course that will equip them with the knowledge and skills to accelerate their sustainability transformation.

Liyana Jamil, vice president, global partner services, Agoda, said: "We are confident this course will go some way to help speed up the hotels' adoption of the Hotel Sustainability Roadmap".

The course, which will be conducted in October/November this year, will support hotel participants on their journey to meet their sustainability targets through in-depth content provided by GSTC, enabling them to understand, develop and implement policies and practices for their organizations to meet global standards according to the GSTC Criteria.

In addition, the course includes examples of best practices from destinations, tour operators and accommodation providers, helping participants to prepare themselves to be GSTC-certified moving forward. Upon completion of the course, participants can opt to take an optional official exam to receive the GSTC Professional Certificate in Sustainable Tourism. Training through the course and the optional certificate would also contribute to the Staff Engagement criteria in the GSTC Criteria for Hotels requiring staff to hold certificates and qualifications in relevant discipline/skills.

Randy Durband, CEO, GSTC said: "As the world adjusts and adapts to the new normal and global travel returns to normal, it's important that we maximise our opportunities to collaborate with OTAs and local tourism bodies in different markets to share our expertise to further sustainability practices and initiatives across the world". The partnership is welcomed by Singapore Tourism Board and the Singapore Hotel Association (SHA). Both organisations had launched the Hotel Sustainability Roadmap earlier in March this year.

"The course will not only build sustainability capabilities within each organisation, but also support hotels with a structured framework to implement greener practices. Such efforts will support our vision for Singapore's hotel industry to be a leader in sustainability in the region",noted Kwee Wei Lin, president, SHA.