GSTC Members can join members-only webinars, that share the most up-to-date knowledge on sustainable tourism. The webinars are presented by GSTC staff as well as GSTC members

The webinars and meetings are an opportunity to actively network and connect with fellow members from around the world, sustainable tourism professionals and stakeholders.

We encourage members to take advantage of the various education and training opportunities available through the GSTC, and to continue seeking knowledge and tools to improve your sustainable tourism practices.

Upcoming Webinars for GSTC Members:

Vanuatu Tourism Crisis Response & Recovery Plan

Presenters: Jerry R. Spooner, Director, Vanuatu Department of Tourism

Vanuatu has developed a Tourism Crisis Response & Recovery Plan to tackle the effects from Cyclone Harold and COVID19. The five core pillars in phase 1 of the Recovery Plan include health, access, product, marketing and comms. The Plan can be downloaded here: https://cutt.ly/quOxPz8

Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project (KPAP)

Presenters: Karen Valenti, Program Manager, KPAP

KPAP raises public awareness regarding the proper treatment of porters on Kilimanjaro, assists climbing companies with implementing procedures that ensure fair and ethical treatment of their porters, lends climbing gear free of charge, and offers educational classes to empower and motivate porters and mountain crew.

Food Waste Reduction in Hotels: Insights from Winnow

Presenters: David Walker, Chief Commercial Officer, Winnow

Winnow was founded in 2013 with the belief that food is too valuable to waste. Our proposition was to create a solution to the problem of food waste in the hospitality sector. Today, Winnow is helping chefs and managers in 40 countries save over 36 million meals.

August 12th, 2020 | 09:00-10:00 PST (CA) | 12:00-13:00 EST (NY) | 17:00-18:00 UK | 18:00-19:00 CEST (Rome)

Sustainable Events: Examples from Scandinavia

Presenters: Peter Reelfs, Sustainability Advisor & Lecturer, NorthFlash

Interested in presenting?

Members that are interested in delivering webinars can contact GSTC General Manager, Roi Ariel, at roi@gstcouncil.org to discuss further details.

Past Webinars for GSTC Members:

Inclusive Travel: the Importance of Accessibility and How to Implement it

Presenters: Martin Heng, Inclusive Travel Specialist

The concept of inclusive travel is an integral part of sustainable tourism where services should be provided for all people. Accessibility is a central element of any responsible and sustainable development policy. It is both a human rights imperative, as well as an exceptional business opportunity. “Tourism for All” is also referred to in the GSTC Criteria (GSTC-I criterion A7.4; GSTC-D criterion B8). Martin Heng will explain its importance and provide clear examples that can be easily implemented by hotels, tour operators, and destinations.

June 24th June 30th, 2020 | 11:00-12:00 CEST (Rome) | 16:00-17:00 ICT (Bangkok) | 19:00-20:00 AEST (Sydney)

Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA) Tourism Resiliency Program

Presenters: Glenn Mandziuk, TOTA President & CEO

Together with the British Columbia Regional Tourism Secretariat representing the 5 Regional Destination Management Organizations (RDMO) in British Colombia Province, TOTA has activated a new Tourism Program for the industry in late April to provide direct support the industry was asking for.

June 18th, 2020 | Recording available for GSTC members

Food Waste Reduction in Hotels: Insights from Winnow

Presenters: David Walker, Chief Commercial Officer, Winnow

Winnow was founded in 2013 with the belief that food is too valuable to waste. Our proposition was to create a solution to the problem of food waste in the hospitality sector. Today, Winnow is helping chefs and managers in 40 countries save over 36 million meals.

June 17th, 2020 | Recording available for GSTC members

What Can be Learned from Six Senses’ Strict Plastic Policy

Presenter: Jeffery Smith Vice, President – Sustainability, Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas

«No plastic straws since 2016 and millions of plastic bottles eliminated every year thanks to producing and bottling our own drinking water (in glass bottles) on site. Plans are now well underway to eliminate the rest and we encourage our guests to join in too. Our audacious goal: to be completely free of plastic by the year 2022.»

Implementing sustainable practices in the time of COVID-19

Presenter: Natalie Kidd, Managing Director, PEAK DMC; Chief Operating Officer, Intrepid Group

Due to the ongoing impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) and the likelihood of international borders remaining closed for an extended period, Intrepid Travel has suspended all tours globally until at least 30 September 2020. Natalie Kidd will share insights from Intrepid Group / PEAK DMC about how companies can continue implementing sustainable practices at such times.

Discussion: COVID19 recovery as a path to better destination stewardship

May 14th, 2020 | Recording available for GSTC members

Sustainable Tourism Activities around Volcanoes National Park in Northern Rwanda

Presenter: Greg Bakunzi, Founder, Red Rocks Initiatives For Sustainable Development

Red Rocks Initiative is an African non-profit organization that supports sustainable development in Africa by engaging in sustainable tourism and community-driven environmental conservation initiatives that are meant to benefit local communities.

May 12th, 2020 | Recording available for GSTC members

Influencing Supply Chains Using Certifications

Presenter: Randy Durband, GSTC CEO

The webinar will use two case studies of Royal Caribbean Cruises Sustainable Shore Excursion and MSC Cruises Protectrours, that give priority to businesses that are certified by a Certification Body that is accredited to the GSTC Criteria*.

* Note: the phrase “accredited to the GSTC Criteria” is short-hand for a CB being accredited for the certification scheme using either the GSTC Criteria directly or their own GSTC-Recognized standard. GSTC Recognized standards comply with the GSTC Criteria, therefore this short-hand phrase includes the use of either of those standards.

April 14th, 2020 | Recording available for GSTC members

How to prevent sexual exploitation of children in tourism (by ECPAT)

The current COVID-19 crisis and restrictions are affecting the modus operandi of child sex offenders. No country or child is immune to this ever-growing risk. As the world responds to COVID-19, push factors that facilitate or lead to sexual abuse and exploitation of children are expected to intensify. All partners need to address the rapidly changing situation and its devastating effects, to ensure that child protection remains central to the current and future responses, including for the Travel & Tourism sector’s recovery. The webinar will focus on the prevention of the sexual exploitation of children, including trafficking and practical ways that members can implement the specific section of the GSTC Criteria.

www.protectingchildrenintourism.org

Presenters:
* Gabriela Kühn, Head of Program – Against Sexual Exploitation of Children in Travel and Tourism (SECTT), ECPAT International
* Damien Brosnan, Programme Manager, The Code

April 9th, 2020 | Recording available for GSTC members

Behind BookDifferent.com

Presenter: Lonneke de Kort, BookDifferent CEO

Bookdifferent.com is a Social Enterprise, founded in 2012 in The Netherlands. Their main goal is to help people choose a better way to travel. That means, also, booking accommodations that take care of the environment, the local people, and the communities they are located in.

Feb 11th, 2020 | 10:00-11:00 CEST | 16:00-17:00 BKK

Natural Habitat’s Zero Waste Trips

Presenter: Dr. Court Whelan, Director of Sustainability and Conservation Travel, Natural Habitat Adventures

Natural Habitat Adventures operated a Zero Waste Adventure on the July 6-12, 2019 departure of Safari America: Yellowstone Country. This small group diverted 99 percent of all on-trip waste produced as a byproduct of Nat Hab-sponsored trip operations: • Refuse • Recycle • Compost • Upcycle • Re-Use At the end of the trip, the group was able to fit all waste produced into a single small container.

November 6th, 2019 | Recording available for GSTC members

China Ivory Consumption Research 2019

By WWF and GlobeScan

WWF has released its third annual report this September with GlobeScan on China’s ivory consumption 2019. This research was conducted for the first time in Sep-Oct 2017, before the implementation of China’s ivory trade ban on December 31st of that year. The study, which is the largest ever consumer research in China on this topic, was repeated after the ban in May-Jun 2018 and for a third time in May-Jul 2019 to evaluate changes in consumers’ awareness, attitudes and behaviour, specifically past purchase incidence, future intention to buy, consumer profiles and segments, ban awareness, campaign recall and more. WWF is pleased to invite you to an online webinar with us to explore the key findings of the research.

Awareness training on ISO 17065

Presenter: José Augusto A. K. Pinto de Abreu, GSTC Accreditation Panel Member

October 31st, 2019 | 17:00 AEST | 12:30 IST | 8:00 CET | 7:00 GMT

This is a 3-hour session of awareness training on ISO 17065 to Certification Bodies and Standard Owners to review key elements of ISO 17065 with a focus on compliance to it as part of the GSTC Accreditation process.

Planet Happiness: Well-being at Destinations

Planet Happiness is a grass-roots big data project to introduce Gross National Happiness, wellbeing & more to local communities, governments at all levels and businesses. Its target audiences and collaborators are individuals, local communities, businesses and governments connected to the travel and tourism industry. Dr Paul Rogers is the co-founder and director of Planet Happiness. He has over 20 years’ experience as a tourism advisor to national and local governments and has worked in more than a dozen countries in Asia, Africa and Australia.

October 15, 2019 | Recording available on GSTC Youtube channel

Plastic-free Excursions: How it is done in Krabi, Thailand

Felix L. Wallner, Senior Business Development Manager, Krabi Spesialisten

August 28, 2019 | Recording available for GSTC members

Destination Stewardship: St. Kitts’ Sustainable Destination Council (SDC)

Diannille Taylor‑Williams, St. Kitts Ministry of Tourism

August 22, 2019 | Recording available for GSTC members

Procurement for Sustainable Supply Chains

Randy Durband, GSTC CEO

June 19, 2019 | Recording available for GSTC members

How your company can support ocean and sea turtle conservation

SEE Turtles protects endangered sea turtles throughout Latin America and the world by supporting community-based conservation efforts. Our Billion Baby Turtles program provides support for important turtle nesting beaches and has helped save more than 1 million hatchlings. Too Rare To Wear is a campaign working to end the demand for turtle shell products. Our conservation trips provide volunteer and financial support for conservation efforts and our school programs help teachers and students learn about these incredible animals and how to protect them. Our latest program, Divers For Turtles, inspires divers and the dive industry to support turtle conservation efforts.

Brad Nahill, President, SEE Turtles

June 12, 2019 | Recording available for GSTC members

Green Fins: Guidelines for Sustainable Diving and Snorkeling

Green Fins, internationally coordinated by Reef-World (GSTC Member), are an environmental set of standards with a comprehensive management approach to provide guidance and support for business owners and national authorities to promote best practices. Diving and snorkelling centres are uniquely positioned to act within their own communities and among customers to encourage positive and lasting change.

Chloë Harvey, Reef-World Director

May 29, 2019 | Recording available for GSTC members

ASI accreditation services for GSTC

Elyse Stavely, ASI Communications Coordinator

Evi Mateboer, ASI GSTC Program Manager

February 13, 2019 – Recording available on GSTC Youtube channel

Certification tools and standards for protected areas management (Public)

Joint webinar: GSTC + IUCN TAPAS Group + Botswana Tourism Organisation

Richard Malesu, Botswana Tourism Organisation

Roi Ariel, General Manager, GSTC

Jeremy Sampson, Ecosystem Programme Communications Officer, IUCN

Mauro Randone, Regional Projects Manager, WWF Mediterranean

Sep 19, 2018 – Recording available on GSTC Youtube channel

Pick up your money from the grounds: sustainability for a financial reason

Andrés Fellenberg v.d. Molen, Director & Senior Lead Auditor at Green Partner

Sep 11, 2018 – Recording available for GSTC members

What are visitors First Impressions of your community and what can be learned from them to drive sustainable tourism? (English)

Andy Northrop, Regional Educator, Sustainable Tourism, Greening Michigan Institute, Michigan State University Extension

August 6, 2018 – Recording available for GSTC members

Turismo Comunitario en América Latina para alcanzar los ODS (Españo)

Natalia Naranjo, GSTC Representante de País – Colombia & Ecuador

July 9, 2018 – Recording available for GSTC members

Apoyo al Emprendimiento e innovación social en Turismo Sostenible, Ayllutures (Español)

Susana Conde, GSTC Representante de País – España

May 29, 2018 – Recording available for GSTC members

Climate change and its effects on tourism and from tourism; with case studies from India and around the world (English)

CB (Ram) Ramkumar, GSTC Board Member and Country Representative in India; Founder and Managing Director of Green Dreams for the Planet

April 17, 2018 – Recording available for GSTC members

The PLEDGE on Food Waste: Why and How to Reduce Food Waste (English)

Benjamin Lephilibert, Managing Director, LightBlue Consulting

February 27, 2018 – Recording available for GSTC members

Sustainable Design – EarthCheck’s Building Planning and Design Standard (BPDS) (English)

Marco Sepulveda, General Manager, Sustainability, EarthCheck

January 30, 2018 – Recording available for GSTC members

Cardamom Tented Camp: Your Stay Keeps the Forest Standing (Southwest Cambodia) (English)

Marius Hermann Project Manager, Cardamom Tented Camp

January 23, 2018 – Recording available for GSTC members

Elephant Camps: Assessments on Animal Welfare and Sustainability (English)

Gili Back, Sustainability Manager, Khiri Travel

November 21, 2017 – Recording available for GSTC members

Norway: Sustainable Destination (English)

Ingunn Sørnes, Special Adviser at Innovation Norway, GSTC Board Member

September 20, 2017 – Recording available for GSTC members

5 Key Tourism Trends to Watch: Sustainability for Businesses, Destinations and Consumers (English)

Dr. D’Arcy Dornan, GSTC Brazil Country Representative, GSTC Trainer

Ayako Ezaki, GSTC Training Director

September 14, 2017 – Available on YouTube

New Developments: Sustainable Tourism in Chile and Latin America (Spanish)

Jorge Moller, GSTC Board and Chile/Argentina Country Representative

August 1, 2017

From GSTC Early Adopter to Start Up: Engaging Local Stakeholders in Sustainable Tourism Development (Jackson Hole & Yellowstone) (English)

Tim O’Donoghue, Riverwind Foundation Executive Director

June 21, 2017 – Recording available for GSTC members

Leading Sustainable Tourism Destinations: STTP Case Studies (English)

Dr. Ioannis Pappas, Co-Founder & CEO, Green Evolution SA / GSTC Greece Country Representative

Ayako Ezaki, GSTC Training Director

June 12, 2017 – Available on YouTube

GSTC-Recognized and GSTC-Accredited (English)

Randy Durband, GSTC CEO

May 25, 2017

Consejo de Destinos para la Sostenibilidad: Experiencia de Riviera Maya (Español)

Beatriz Barreal Danel, GSTC Board and Mexico Country Representative

May 24, 2017 – Recording available for GSTC members

Increasing Market Access for your Certified Sustainable Hotels (English)

Irene Lane, GSTC Market Access Working Group Chair

May 16, 2017 – Recording available for GSTC members

Sustainable Management: Lessons Learnt from the Asia Pacific Region (English)

Antje Martins, GSTC Trainer / Training & Corporate Project Manager, EarthCheck

Ayako Ezaki, GSTC Training Director

May 8, 2017 – Available on YouTube

GSTC Sustainable Destinations Program (English)

Kathleen Pessolano, GSTC Destinations Program Director

May 4, 2017 – Recording available for GSTC members

Six Financial Benefits of Good Sustainability Marketing (English)

Dr. Xavier Font, University of Surrey, Travindy

March 23, 2017 – Recording available for GSTC members

Destination Council for Sustainability: Experience from Riviera Maya (English)

Beatriz Barreal Danel, GSTC Board and Mexico Country Representative

March 8, 2017 – Recording available for GSTC members

Demanda, motivaciones y perfil del viajero de Turismo Sostenible (Español)

Susana Conde, GSTC Board and Spain Country Representative

March 1, 2017 – Recording available for GSTC members

Sustainable Tourism Certification in Africa: Water and Waste Practices by Hotels (English)

Dr. Anna Spenceley, GSTC Board Member

February 21, 2017 – Recording available for GSTC members

Sustainable Tourism in China: Developments in the Pandas’ Wolong National Nature Reserve, Sichuan, China (English)

Dr. Lewis Cheung, Infinity (Int’l) Travel Lead Trainer

February 7, 2017 – Recording available for GSTC members

Sustainable Destination Management, Case Study from Brazil (English)

Dr. D’Arcy Dornan, GSTC Brazil Country Representative

Ayako Ezaki, GSTC Training Director

January 24, 2017 – Available on YouTube

Lanzamiento de “GSTC Integrity”: Qué significa? (Español)

Andrés Fellenberg v.d. Molen, GSTC Thecnical Director

Jan 19, 2017

GSTC-Recognized and GSTC-Accredited (English)

Randy Durband, GSTC CEO

January 18, 2017