easyJet holidays has partnered with the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) to accelerate sustainability transformation in the industry by sponsoring three GSTC Sustainable Tourism Courses for its hotel partners in Spain, Greece and Turkey.
The partnership comes as a result of easyJet holidays’ commitment to supporting hotel partners to achieve GSTC-Recognized Standards within the next five years. The hotels will become part of the tour operators’ ‘eco-certified’ collection, making it easier for customers to make sustainable choices.
The GSTC Sustainable Tourism course aims to support participants on their journey to meet their sustainability targets through thorough content provided by GSTC. The course offers an excellent opportunity to gain in-depth knowledge about the GSTC Criteria and sustainable tourism practices. The course includes examples of best practice from destinations, tour operators and accommodation providers around the globe.
The three GSTC Sustainable Tourism Courses sponsored by easyJet holidays will be offered in different languages: Spanish, Greek and Turkish, catering to a diverse group from different regions. The course covers both GSTC Industry Criteria (GSTC-I) and GSTC Destination Criteria (GSTC-D) but with a special emphasis on hotels. After completing the course, participants will receive a certificate of training completion, and will be eligible to take an optional official exam to receive the GSTC Professional Certificate in Sustainable Tourism which is also sponsored by easyJet holidays.
Matt Callaghan, easyJet holidays’ Director of Customer & Operations, said “Ever since we launched our holidays business we’ve been keen to pioneer meaningful change in our industry. With education and collaboration at the heart of our mission to make sustainable holidays mainstream, we’re delighted to be partnering with GSTC to help our hotel partners in Spain, Greece and Turkey enhance their sustainability credentials.
“GSTC does brilliant and innovative work in managing global standards for sustainable travel and tourism so we’re looking forward to continuing to partner with them to deliver holidays that really do give more than they take.”
Randy Durband, CEO of GSTC said: “By partnering with the GSTC, easyJet holidays is not only supporting the sustainable transformation of the tourism industry but also encouraging businesses and individuals to take a proactive approach towards sustainability. We believe that through collaborative efforts, we can make a significant impact and ensure that sustainable tourism benefits not just the environment and local communities, but also the long-term success of the industry as a whole.”
In September 2021, easyJet holidays became one of the first UK holiday providers to become a member of the GSTC and is encouraging all of its hotel partners to achieve certification by 2025, working with them to understand the benefits of becoming certified and the attributes of which they are certified against. The hotels included in their new ‘eco certified’ collection are identified by a green leaf motif, and all have certification or have met GSTC-recognized standards for hotels.
About easyJet holidays
easyJet holidays offers great-value beach, city and lakes holidays to more than 100 destinations across Europe, directly through its website and through over 3000 travel agent partners. The ATOL-protected holidays company combines easyJet’s flexible flight programme, with handpicked hotels and best-in-class technology to provide hassle-free personalised holiday experiences which can be secured with a deposit of just £60 per person. The holidays operator is an ABTA member too, providing additional reassurance to customers under the UK’s most trusted travel scheme. With a range of holiday types, from adult and family to luxury and undiscovered, transfers included on beach holidays, 23kg hold luggage included on all bookings, and over 5,000 hotels, across over 500 resorts, customers can holiday the way they want.
In 2021 easyJet holidays launched its inaugural sustainability strategy focusing on three key pillars – create better holiday choices which is about making sustainable travel affordable and accessible to everyone; keep our holidays special which is maximising the benefits and minimising the negative impacts of travel and tourism, and transform travel for everyone which means embedding sustainability into business decisions and behaviours and driving meaningful change in the industry. Through ongoing collaboration with the Travel Foundation, the University of Oxford, and as a member of the GSTC, easyJet holidays is focused on building its research, partnerships and certifications, and taking action to make a positive impact on the people and places that make its destinations so special.
About the GSTC
The Global Sustainable Tourism Council® (GSTC®) establishes and manages global sustainable standards, known as the GSTC Criteria. There are two sets: Destination Criteria for public policy-makers and destination managers, and Industry Criteria for hotels and tour operators. These are the guiding principles and minimum requirements that any tourism business or destination should aspire to reach in order to protect and sustain the world’s natural and cultural resources while ensuring tourism meets its potential as a tool for conservation and poverty alleviation.
The GSTC Criteria form the foundation for GSTC’s assurance role for Certification Bodies that certify hotels/accommodations, tour operators, and destinations as having sustainable policies and practices in place. GSTC does not directly certify any products or services, but provides accreditation to those that do. The GSTC is an independent and neutral USA-registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization that represents a diverse and global membership, including national and provincial governments, leading travel companies, hotels, tour operators, NGOs, individuals and communities – all striving to achieve best practices in sustainable tourism.
Information for media and the press: www.gstcouncil.org/about/for-the-press/
