GSTC Auditor Training and Qualification

Certification Bodies seeking GSTC Accreditation must adhere to the GSTC Accreditation Manual, which mandates specific knowledge of GSTC Standards (formerly known as GSTC Criteria) and sustainable tourism practices for auditors and decision-makers.

To make sure auditors and certification decision-makers have the necessary knowledge, GSTC requires them to attend the GSTC Auditor Training and pass the comprehensive evaluation, which will assess the auditor’s competence in auditing against GSTC Standards.

GSTC Auditor Training is at the forefront of the GSTC Certification program and is one of the most important means of ensuring the credibility of the GSTC Standards. It serves as a crucial step in maintaining the high standards of sustainable tourism practices worldwide.

* Important Note: There are other requirements in addition to completing this training in order to conduct audits for the GSTC Certification. For further details, please refer to the latest GSTC Accreditation Manual.

Training Process

Through real-world case studies, indicator analysis, discussion, and insights from industry experts, participants will learn the process of audit and key issues auditors need to be aware of.

1. In-person Training Sessions

GSTC Trainer will lead the session.

  • Guest speeches, reading materials, and training master presentations will be given.
  • Duration : 3 days of training based on onsite, online or combination of both.

2. Online Written-Exam Evaluation

All training participants will take an open-book exam after in-person training session.

  • Passing Score : 85%
  • One time second chance to take the exam will be given for the trainee who didn’t pass.

3. Field Performance Evaluation 

Participants will conduct mock-audit exercises and submit the mock-audit report for each scope. 

  • Passing Score : 75%
  • Submission Period 
    • 3 months for one scope
    • 5 months for more than one scope
    • There will be a penalty for late submission.

4. Mock-audit Improvement

Auditors who do not receive a passing score at the first mock-audit evaluation can choose one of the following options to obtain a certificate. 

  • Option A_5 Audit Observations: During attendance at the observations, the auditor must prepare and submit the evidence for each audit observation.
  • Option B_Supplemental Mock-audit: It involves conducting two mock-audit performances: one supplemental audit and one additional mock-audit. Auditors have the opportunity to enhance the initial mock-audit through this stage.

Training Schedule

DatesCourse IDTraining ScopeFormat/LanguageTrainer(s)PriceRegister
August 3-5, 2025 (Tentative)AT2508-FijiHotel & Tour OperatorOnsite/EnglishMustafa Sogut and Herdi AndrariladchiUSD980-LEARN MORE
(Register Now)
June 23-25, 2025AT2506-JapanHotel & Tour OperatorOnsite/English (Partial translation support)Dr. Mihee KangUSD980-LEARN MORE
(Register Now)
April 8-9, 2025AT2504-Istanbul(D)DestinationOnsite/EnglishDr. Mihee KangUSD700-LEARN MORE
(Finished)
April 5-7, 2025AT2504-Istanbul(HTO)Hotel & Tour OperatorOnsite/TurkishMustafa SogutUSD980-LEARN MORE
(Finished)
April 2-4, 2025AT2504-GermanyHotel & Tour OperatorOnsite/EnglishDr. Mihee KangUSD980-LEARN MORE
(Finished)
March 24-26, 2025AT2503-MalaysiaHotel & Tour OperatorOnsite/EnglishHerdi AndrariladchiUSD980-LEARN MORE
(Finished)
March 10-12, 2025AT2503-AntalyaHotel & Tour OperatorOnsite/TurkishMustafa SogutUSD980-LEARN MORE
(Finished)
February 17-19, 2025AT2502-AnkaraHotel & Tour OperatorOnsite/TurkishMustafa SogutUSD980-(Finished)
January 10-12, 2025AT2501-IstanbulHotel & Tour OperatorOnsite/TurkishMustafa SogutUSD980-LEARN MORE
(Finished)
January 8-10, 2025AT2501-BeijingHotel & Tour OperatorOnsite/English (Chinese translation support)Dr. Mihee KangUSD980-LEARN MORE
(Finished)
December 16-18, 2024AT2412-IzmirHotel & Tour OperatorOnsite/TurkishMustafa SogutUSD980-LEARN MORE
(Finished)
November 22-24, 2024AT2411-AntalyaHotel & Tour OperatorOnsite/TurkishMustafa SogutUSD980-LEARN MORE
(Finished)
November 10-12, 2024AT2411-SingaporeHotel & Tour OperatorOnsite/EnglishDr.Mihee KangUSD980-LEARN MORE
(Finished)
September 20-22, 2024AT2409-IstanbulHotel & Tour OperatorOnsite/English & TurkishDr.Mihee Kang and Mustafa SogutUSD980-LEARN MORE
(Finished)
August 28-30, 2024AT2408-BaliHotel & Tour OperatorOnsite/EnglishDr.Mihee Kang and Herdi AndrariladchiUSD980-LEARN MORE
(Finished)
July 20-22, 2024AT2407-IstanbulHotel & Tour OperatorOnsite/EnglishDr.Mihee Kang and Mustafa SogutUSD980-LEARN MORE
(Finished)
July 15-17, 2024AT2407-AthensHotel & Tour OperatorOnsite/EnglishDr.Mihee Kang and Maria LiontakiUSD980-LEARN MORE
(Finished)
Column 1 Value 17Column 2 Value 17Column 3 Value 17Column 4 Value 17Column 5 Value 17Column 6 Value 17Column 7 Value 17

IMPORTANT: this refers to specialized GSTC auditor training and NOT the GSTC Sustainable Tourism Course or the GSTC Sustainable Hotel Course described elsewhere on this website for general tourism practitioners and stakeholders.

GSTC Auditor Training Certificate Holder

Auditors listed below have successfully completed the GSTC Auditor Training and received a Certificate of Achievement.

Please note that auditors who completed the auditor training course with the STTP training before 2021 are not listed here due to changes in the training system and ongoing updates to the database. (For information on auditors qualified before 2021, please contact auditor.training@gstc.org.) Also, the individual on this list may not fully satisfy requirements outlined in the GSTC Accreditation Manual to conduct certification audit against GSTC Standards.

This list was last updated on December 15, 2024.

Auditor Training Grievance

If you have any feedback, concerns, or complaints regarding the GSTC Auditor Training, please contact us at auditor.training@gstc.org. You may also use the GSTC Grievance form for submission. All grievances will be reviewed and handled fairly, in accordance with the GSTC Auditor Training Grievance Procedure v.1.0.

Frequently Asked Questions

Firstly, visit following webpage to see the latest GSTC Accreditation Manual, and find Section 10 ‘Auditor Qualifications, Knowledge, and Skills’. You will find the specific requirement that auditors should satisfy. Be aware that successful completion of the GSTC Auditor Training is one of the requirement.

Auditors should be in a relationship with the GSTC-Accredited Certification Body (ACB) to engage with the certification audits. This can be either through employment or contract. Then, the ACB will evaluate your qualifications whether you are satisfying the requirements outlined in the GSTC Accreditation Manual. During this process, they will also consider your competence based on their own process.