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The Sustainable Tourism Academy, a fully digital training platform launched by GSTC and digital travel platform Agoda last June, has gained traction, attracting over 1,500 participants in under four months. More than half of the participants have already successfully completed the free digital training and earned their personal certificate, demonstrating commitment to advancing sustainability knowledge in the tourism industry.
As part of the broader Sustainable Tourism Academy training partnership, Agoda has been of the first digital travel platform to partner with GSTC on in-person hotel sustainability training sessions since 2022. Together, GSTC and Agoda have conducted eleven sessions across 10 markets, including India, Indonesia, Japan, Nepal, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, and Thailand—engaging over 500 participants in these hands-on events. Altogether, the combined digital and in-person training components of the Academy have benefited more than 2,000 people across Asia, highlighting the broad reach and tangible impact of the collaboration between GSTC and Agoda.
Key Features of the Digital Training Platform
The free platform combines interactive exercises, real-life case studies, quizzes, and discussion forums to ensure an engaging and well-rounded learning process. Its modules help hospitality professionals design effective sustainability strategies, drawing inspiration from hotel practices across Asia.
The 4-hour training is built around the GSTC Hotel Standard, the global standards for sustainability in travel and tourism. It covers key areas such as sustainable management, socioeconomic impacts, cultural impacts, and environmental impacts. The platform is available in English, Indonesian, Malay, Thai, and Vietnamese.
Participants included established professionals from major hotel brands, including Accor, Amari, Avani, Ozo Hotels, Rosewood, and Sofitel, and aspiring professionals from educational institutions like the Asian Institute of Hospitality Management. The Academy also reached independent properties, such as Namia River Retreat (Vietnam) and Maison Hotel (Thailand), highlighting the training content’s relevance across the full range of market segments.
“The free ‘Sustainable Tourism Academy’ makes sustainability training accessible to all hoteliers, empowering them to take meaningful steps forward,” said Randy Durband, GSTC CEO. “We are proud to partner with Agoda on this initiative, which reflects our shared commitment to advancing sustainable tourism across Asia and beyond.”
Reflecting on the milestone, Andrew Smith, Senior Vice President, Supply at Agoda, commented, «Our partnership with GSTC reflects Agoda’s commitment to collaborating with world-class organizations to drive more sustainable practices across the tourism industry. By equipping our partners with the necessary competencies and practical tools, we are not only helping them meet growing guest demand but also raising industry standards. We look forward to scaling this successful partnership model to benefit more of our partners.»
“The most important lesson in sustainability is that it is about mindset and small actions taken every day,” said Chhairaing Tuy, Director of Talent and Culture at Rosewood Hotel Group. “To apply this effectively, self-education is key. The Sustainable Tourism Academy is a comprehensive and practical digital training platform that has greatly benefited me, and I encourage everyone in the tourism industry to leverage it.”
“We have found the Sustainable Tourism Academy content to be incredibly practical, insightful, and highly relevant to our operations,” added Lanllalin Nitipoj Damrongdechaphithak, Sustainability Manager at Samed Resorts Group. “It has not only strengthened our knowledge but also inspired our team to integrate more sustainable practices into our daily work.”
The multilingual nature of the platform ensured high accessibility throughout the region, with close to 60% of users accessing the platform in local languages—Indonesian, Malay, Thai, and Vietnamese—while the remaining users accessed the content in English. Registrations originated from over 10 markets, with the largest user bases coming from India, Malaysia, and Thailand. Among the content, the most frequently completed modules were “Tourism’s Invisible Burden” and “GSTC Standards & Performance Indicators,” reflecting the strong demand for practical sustainability knowledge and global benchmarks.
The Sustainable Tourism Academy confirms the shared commitment of Agoda and GSTC to provide tourism and hospitality professionals across Asia with the crucial sustainability knowledge and resources needed to drive tangible change.
