Agoda and GSTC Collaborate for Sustainable Tourism Training in the Philippines
Asean News Published 3 months ago on 20 September 2024 |
Author TIN Media
Philippines:
The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), in partnership with Agoda and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), successfully concluded its Hotel Sustainability Training for industry professionals on September 6, 2024, in Cebu, Philippines. This two-day event aimed to equip hoteliers with the skills and knowledge needed to implement sustainable tourism practices aligned with GSTC Criteria, the global standards for sustainability in travel and tourism.
Hosted at the Quest Hotel and Conference Center Cebu, the training brought together over 40 hospitality industry participants. Opening remarks by Ms. Massa Dunnaville, Mission Economist at USAID, Dr. Gelena N. Asis-Dimpas, Assistant Regional Director at the Department of Tourism, and Mr. Mike Hwang, Country Director at Agoda, set the stage for discussions on sustainability and collaboration within the tourism sector.
Under the expert guidance of CB Ramkumar, Vice Chair and GSTC Trainer, and Trang Nguyen, GSTC Trainer, participants delved into sustainable development practices, drawing on real-world hotel case studies. This training marks the 8th collaboration between Agoda and GSTC and the fourth with USAID under the U.S. Support for Economic Growth in Asia (US-SEGA) project. Past sessions in Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka have benefited nearly 400 hoteliers.
“Cebu and its islands are a beautiful cluster that is unspoilt by over tourism – as yet. The hoteliers in this training tool back sustainability principles, practices and processes to ensure that their hotels specifically and Cebu in general takes the path into sustainability as detailed in the GSTC framework. The general enthusiasm of the hoteliers during the training, gives us good reason to believe that they will do all it takes to further their business and sustainability goals. I wish them the very best in their journey,” said Mr. CB Ramkumar, Vice Chair of GSTC.
Reflecting on the event, Boratay Uysal, CSR & Sustainability Senior Manager of Agoda, shared, “The Philippines is recognized as highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, making the tourism sector’s sustainability efforts more crucial than ever. We believe this training arrives at the perfect time and place, and we are thrilled by the enthusiasm and interest shown by our accommodation partners in embracing sustainable practices.”
USAID/Philippines Mission Economist Massa Dunnaville stated that “USAID supports activities that serve dual goals of sustainable resource management and lifting livelihoods from poverty. Development and business leaders alike recognize that by collaborating and leveraging each other’s unique resources, assets, and skill-set, they can tackle problems together that neither of them could solve alone.”
Upon completing the course, participants received a certificate of attendance, meeting the training requirement for the GSTC Professional Certificate in Sustainable Tourism. Through the US-SEGA initiative, scholarships were provided for the official GSTC Sustainable Tourism Exam, available online within four weeks of the training.
