- Onsite & Online Training Classes
- Professional Certificate in Sustainable Business Travel
- Professional Certificate in Sustainable Tourism
- Registration & Payment
Each online course has a Course Facilitator whose contact information you will find on the course page. You can contact the Course Facilitator with your questions and requests.
As part of your registration for an onsite (face-to-face) class, you will receive:
– Training materials to be provided prior to the class;
– Lunch breaks and coffee breaks during the class;
– A Certificate of Attendance confirming your attendance in the class; and
– The opportunity to take the official GSTC Sustainable Tourism Course Exam. You can take the exam by selecting the add-on option “Exam & Certificate” at the time of registration, or pay the Exam fee separately after the class.
As part of your registration for an online class, you will receive:
– Training materials to be provided prior to the class;
– Access to the online training platform;
– A Certificate of Attendance confirming your attendance in the class; and
– The opportunity to take the official GSTC Sustainable Tourism Course Exam. You can take the exam by selecting the add-on option “Exam & Certificate” at the time of registration, or pay the Exam fee separately after the class.
As with any other online and offline professional training program, it’s entirely up to you to invest as much or as little effort as you would like into the GSTC Sustainable Tourism Course. On average, we recommend that you set aside 3-5 hours per week for:
– Reviewing video lessons and reading materials;
– Attending live sessions with presentations and group discussions (or reviewing video recordings); and
– Participating in discussion forums and group activities.
Other than the scheduled live sessions, you can choose your own pace – for example, you can spend half an hour every day or a few hours each weekend, depending on what works best for your schedule. You are, however, expected to follow the weekly course flow (one module per week) in order to make the most of your learning experience, and to complete the course within the scheduled 4-week period.
The STTP Sustainable Business Travel Exam is offered in an online and open-book format, and is designed to evaluate the training participant’s awareness and knowledge of the content covered in the Sustainable Business Travel course, and relevant examples and approaches to implementing sustainable business travel policies and best practices.
The GSTC Sustainable Tourism Course Exam is offered in an online and open-book format, and is designed to evaluate the training participant’s awareness and knowledge of the content covered in the GSTC Sustainable Tourism Course, and relevant examples and approaches to implementing sustainable tourism policies and practices within tourism industry businesses and destinations.
To complete the course, you need to have all units and knowledge checks marked complete.
You can mark each course unit complete by clicking on the little checkbox in the top right corner. You can move to the next unit without completing one, and come back later to complete the unit. This will be a useful way for you to remember which units you’ve completed, and which ones you didn’t, or wanted to revisit because you weren’t sure if you understood everything properly.
Knowledge checks are short quizzes at the end of each module, designed as exercises to help you re-visit key learning points. Knowledge check quizzes are not scored, and you get an unlimited number of tries at each question.
Once you complete a course, you can download your copy of the Certificate of Attendance (available in PDF format) from the course dashboard.
The GSTC Professional Certificate in Sustainable Tourism is awarded to those who have (a) completed the GSTC Sustainable Tourism Course, and (b) successfully passed the official GSTC Sustainable Tourism Course Exam. The Certificate, signed by the GSTC Chair and CEO, recognizes that the recipient has demonstrated their knowledge of the GSTC Criteria. Those who achieve a 80% pass mark on the GSTC Sustainable Tourism Course Exam will receive a GSTC Professional Certificate in Sustainable Tourism.
The GSTC Professional Certificate in Sustainable Business Travel is awarded to those who have (a) completed a GSTC Sustainable Business Travel training class, and (b) successfully passed the official GSTC Sustainable Business Travel Course Exam. The Certificate, signed by the GSTC Chair and CEO, recognizes that the recipient has demonstrated their knowledge of sustainable business travel best practices. Those who achieve a 75% pass mark on the Sustainable Business Travel Course Exam will receive a GSTC Professional Certificate in Sustainable Business Travel.
Both face-to-face and online GSTC Sustainable Tourism Courses are led by expert GSTC trainers, and cover the training curriculum developed by the GSTC, using the GSTC Criteria as the framework. In addition, both face-to-face and online classes satisfy the training requirement towards earning the GSTC Professional Certificate in Sustainable Tourism. In these ways, the two are equivalent to each other in terms of content.
There are, however, key differences in terms of the learning experience. Face-to-face classes are 3-day-long intensive training offered in a classroom setting, allowing for face-to-face interaction with the trainer and with fellow training participants. Online classes are offered over the course of four weeks with weekly lessons and activities. See more information on the 4-week online course format here.
Yes, you can sign up multiple people at the same time when registering online. Select the number of people you would like register, and you can enter contact details for each participant on the form. We also offer a discount for each group purchase of more than 5 seats. If you would like to sign up as a group of 5 and more, for any of the upcoming onsite or online classes of the STTP, please contact us at training [at] gstc.org for more details.
Yes, current GSTC members can register at a discounted Member rate for all STTP training classes (onsite and online). In addition, we offer a limited number of need-based discounts to support those who are unable to pay the full price. You can find eligibility and application details linked from the online registration form for each class.
The GSTC Sustainable Tourism Course Exam period is 4 weeks following the course completion. Following your training, you will receive specific instructions on how to access the exam and your submission deadline. Extension may be granted on a case-by-case basis (a late fee will apply, except for valid cases of medical or family emergencies).
Usually, registration for the GSTC Sustainable Tourism Course (both onsite and online) is open until the class start date. However, each course group has a limited number of seats available, which are offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration will be closed when all available seats are filled, so we recommend signing up early to secure your spot.
You will receive your exam results within 4 weeks of the exam submission deadline, which is indicated in the exam instruction email you will receive at the end of the course.
The exam is evaluated on the basis of its relevance to the training class content and current industry knowledge.
The exam is evaluated on the basis of its relevance to the training content and current industry knowledge, according to the GSTC Sustainable Tourism Course Exam Evaluation Guidelines, developed and approved by the GSTC Education and Training Working Group.
Upon successful completion of the GSTC Sustainable Tourism Course Exam, you will receive an email with your exam results, and a PDF copy of your certificate, sent to the email address you provide at the time of registration.
Upon successful completion of the STTP Sustainable Business Travel Exam, you will receive an email with your exam results, and a PDF copy of your certificate, sent to the email address you provide at the time of registration.
In order to earn the GSTC Certificate in Sustainable Business Travel,
You will first need to complete the training requirement of the GSTC Sustainable Business Travel training course.
Once you complete the course and receive a Certificate of Completion, you have the opportunity to take the STTP Sustainable Business Travel Exam.
There are two options for you to complete the training requirement towards earning the GSTC Professional Certificate in Sustainable Tourism:
(1) Onsite 3-day GSTC Sustainable Tourism Course: Face-to-face training classes offered throughout the year in various locations around the world.
(2) Online 4-week GSTC Sustainable Tourism Course: Online scheduled training classes led by GSTC trainers, available at least 6 times a year.
Once you complete one of the above training options and receive a Certificate of Attendance, you have the opportunity to take the GSTC Sustainable Tourism Course Exam.
Follow the links on the Upcoming Classes page or on the individual training class pages to access the online registration form. Once you submit your registration data and payment, you will receive a confirmation email and payment receipt, confirming that you have registered for that particular class. If registration is closed (e.g. the class is already full or is only available to invited attendees), the information is clearly indicated on the training class page.
When you attend either a 3-day onsite training class or a 4-week online training of the GSTC Sustainable Tourism Course, you will receive a Certificate of Attendance that states the date of the training class, to confirm participation in that class. This is given at the end of each course to everyone who has taken part in the training.
Cancellation and refund on your registration is allowed until 7 days prior to the course start date. Your cancellation request must be sent by email (sttp@gstc.org) before the deadline, and if approved, you will receive a refund on your registration payment, minus a US$50 administrative fee.
No refund is available for cancellation after the stated cancellation deadline.
Within 7 days before the course start date, if you are unable to participate in the course, you have the option to transfer your registration to another participant (with a US$50 transfer fee), or receive credits for your registration fee amount (minus US$50 administrative fee) that can be applied to another GSTC STTP training class within one calendar year.
If you don’t achieve the passing score (80% and above), but achieve the minimum required score of 50%, you will be offered the opportunity to re-take the exam within 2 weeks, with a one-time non-refundable administrative fee of US$50.