SINGAPORE, 1 September 2022: Agoda is partnering with the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) to support hotels develop sustainable tourism practices.
The Singapore-headquartered digital travel platform launches the partnership with GSTC in Singapore by sponsoring 50 Singapore hotel professionals to attend a “Sustainable Hotels” course that will equip them with the knowledge and skills to accelerate their sustainability transformation.
Agoda vice president of global partner services Jamil Liyana said: “We are confident this course will go some way to help speed up the hotels’ adoption of the Hotel Sustainability Roadmap. Agoda is constantly looking for ways to collaborate with public and private organisations to raise awareness of sustainable tourism and help our customers and partners make more sustainable choices. And as is Agoda’s culture, we will test and measure the success of this initiative as we look to explore similar programs in other key markets.”
Agoda and GSTC’s sustainable tourism course aims to support hotel participants on their journey to meet their sustainability targets through in-depth content provided by GSTC.
The GSTC Criteria presents a study course in global standards for sustainable travel and tourism. It includes best practices from destinations, tour operators and accommodation providers worldwide. The course will enable hotel professionals to understand the intent and indicators of the GSTC Criteria and prepare individuals to develop and implement viable and actionable sustainable tourism policies and practices for their organisation or the destination they serve.
After completing the course, participants will receive a certificate of training completion from the GSTC featuring both the GSTC and Agoda logos. They will be eligible 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.
Commenting on the partnership, Singapore Hotels Association president Kwee Wei Lin noted: “Agoda’s partnership with GSTC will support Singapore’s hotel industry in realising our target to achieve internationally recognised hotel sustainability certification. The course will not only build sustainability capabilities within each organisation but also support hotels with a structured framework to implement greener practices.”
In March 2022, Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and the Singapore Hotel Association (SHA) jointly launched the Hotel Sustainability Roadmap, setting out clear sustainability goals for hotels as part of Singapore’s ambition to become a top sustainable urban destination. These include a target for at least 60% of Singapore’s hotel room stock to achieve internationally recognised hotel sustainability certification by 2025 and to commence tracking emissions by 2023. The move by Agoda to help hotels meet the requirements for sustainability certification is welcomed by both SHA and STB.
The GSTC and Agoda course is a flexible learning online course of four 90 min sessions over four weeks. The course runs from 6 October to 3 November 2022.
