The three-day intensive and interactive training program was held in Athens, Greece, from June 15-17, 2016. The training was led by Dr. Ioannis Pappas and covered sustainability best practices by hotels, tour operators and destinations, offering valuable insight into the GSTC Criteria, the world’s leading standard for tourism sustainability. This training class was organized by the GSTC, sponsored by Green Evolution SA, and supported by Media Partners Greek Travel Pages and Tornos News.
Dates: June 15th-17th, 2016
Venue: Ava Hotel, Athens, Greece
Language: English
Sponsor: This training class was sponsored by
Media Partners: This training class was supported by
Sustainable Tourism Best Practices & Expert Insights
The GSTC Sustainable Tourism Training helped strengthen awareness of sustainable tourism through practical insights and achievable steps. The 3-day training offered a unique opportunity to gain an in-depth understanding of the GSTC Criteria for Hotels and Tour Operators and the GSTC Criteria for Destinations, as well as learning from relevant local and international best practice examples.
>> Download the detailed training class agenda here
Participants gained expert advice on how to start implementing sustainability management practices at their organization and on how to improve their sustainability performance through specific steps, e.g. establishing a sustainability manager position or sustainability team, implementing best practices in sustainability reporting and communications, and seeking certification from a credible standard provider.
GSTC Trainer: Dr. Ioannis Pappas
Dr. Ioannis Pappas is the Greece Country Representative for the GSTC, and serves as a Trainer for the GSTC Sustainable Tourism Training Program. In addition, he is Approved Auditor for Hotels and Accommodations for Travelife, and Certified Auditor for Green Globe.
He is an experienced professional engineer, with over 25 years of work in several fields of science, focusing in Sustainability for Tourism, energy and environmental efficiency in Infrastructure and Buildings, auditing or advising in standardization of companies and technological implementation of climate adaptation and mitigation methodologies. He is active in auditing, consulting and training on all matters of interest to the tourism sector, as Sustainable Tourism Manager by Jean Monnet European Centre of Excellence and PM4SD, Auditor for Stars Evaluation of Hotels and Vilas in Greece, Accredited Trainer of Passive House Standard, Accredited Verifier of Airports GHG and European Energy Manager. He also has extensive experience on Project Management as Coordinator and/or Manager in more than 20 National & EU Research Projects, as Certified Auditor of ISO 9001 and 14001 Systems, and as Trained Consultant of ISO 50001 Systems.
Dr. Pappas is a Co-Founder and CEO of GREEN EVOLUTION, a unique Advising Company in Environment, Energy & Carbon Finance in Greece, and has been an active participant member of various international working groups (UNFCCC, CITL, ITL, CEN, TAIEX). He has a Diploma in Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering, a PhD in Mechanical Engineering and a Post-Doc in Applied Mechanics in Energy Applications.
