Agoda, GSTC and USAID have collaborated to bring out the best of ecotourism practices though the Sustainable Tourism Development Initiative across India, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand and additional markets in South and Southeast Asia.

Digital travel platform Agoda, the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) have partnered to provide sustainability trainings for hoteliers across Asia.

According to a press statement by Agoda, the Sustainable Tourism Development Initiative will strengthen the sustainability transformation and foster green growth within the region’s hotel industry with models that have the potential for global application. This partnership with USAID, through the US-Supporting Economic Growth in Asia (US-SEGA) activity, expands the training scope and geographic coverage to additional markets in South and Southeast Asia.

The statement adds that the Sustainable Tourism Development Initiative builds on the success of Agoda’s ongoing partnership with the GSTC, which has provided sustainability education for hundreds of hoteliers to date across India, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand to support the industry to meet the rising consumer demand for more sustainable accommodation options.

The statement adds that the fifth iteration of the instructor-led hotel sustainability training organised by Agoda and GSTC, and the first in partnership with USAID, will be held in Jaipur, India on March 28-29. This training has the support of the Rajasthan Department of Tourism and is expected to garner up to 60 participants.

The organisations say that they have plans to expand existing instructor-led hotel sustainability training at five destinations across the region in India, Indonesia, Laos, Nepal, and the Philippines, alongside the development of a self-paced digital hotel sustainability training platform. This will offer localised, interactive learning modules, supplementary study materials, and quizzes that address the distinct sustainability challenges across the region.

The statement adds that there are also plans to establish a sustainability scholarship fund for select hotels across the region, particularly hotels that are small, medium, and women-owned enterprises, to receive further training and obtain third-party sustainability certifications recognised by GSTC.

“It is our responsibility to raise awareness about sustainability among both our consumers and accommodation partners and are thrilled to support the industry in developing the knowledge and working towards third-party certifications. Partnering with USAID will help elevate and scale our projects which combine Agoda’s extensive supply network with GSTC’s world-leading technical expertise on sustainability to reach even more markets across Asia,” says Omri Morgenshtern, CEO of Agoda.

Agoda says that this partnership aims to not only train individual hoteliers on sustainable hotel management, but catalyse knowledge sharing on sustainable management practices across the industry, and will create a network of sustainability professionals in the local hotel industry.

“USAID believes it is critical to work in collaboration with the private sector to drive sustainable development progress, including mitigating climate change. Tourism, when sustainable, provides an important pathway for inclusive economic growth and preservation of cultural heritage, and can be a valuable tool for environmental conservation. We are proud to launch this regional partnership with Agoda and GSTC in India to support, particularly as they overcome the economic setbacks of the Covid-19 pandemic, the ability of small and medium enterprises to participate in a more sustainable economy,’’ says USAID India Mission Director Veena Reddy.

‘‘The knowledge and skills acquired from these trainings serve as a crucial step for hoteliers to obtain credible third-party sustainability certifications for their properties and effectively navigate the process with a thorough understanding of the GSTC Hotel Criteria. They will also have the opportunity to enhance their professional credentials and marketability in the hospitality industry, opening doors to career advancement opportunities in the future,’’ says Randy Durband, CEO of GSTC.