At Agoda, we are committed to transforming travel into a force for good and making more sustainable travel options accessible to everyone. Our employees engage in skill-based volunteering to support local tourism communities, sharing their expertise to help these communities thrive. We also invite travelers to contribute to the preservation of the destinations they visit, ensuring their travels have a lasting positive impact.
In 2022, we became the first global online travel agency to offer sustainability training programs to our partner hotels, in collaboration with the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC). This partnership launched the Sustainable Tourism Academy, our flagship initiative providing both in-person workshops and a free digital training platform to enhance access to sustainability education for hoteliers across Asia.
Presently, the combined digital and in-person components of the Academy have empowered thousands of industry professionals to adopt more sustainable practices and set meaningful sustainability goals, benefiting both the environment and the local communities that rely on tourism.
How It All Started: Partnering with GSTC
We continually seek opportunities to collaborate with public and private organizations. For instance, the partnership between Agoda and GSTC was born out of a shared vision for promoting more sustainable travel. Recognizing GSTC’s global role in setting sustainability standards that underpin the work of certification bodies in certifying hotels, we began working with them in 2022 to provide in-person sustainability training programs to hoteliers from our partner hotels. The goal was clear: to support hoteliers on their sustainability journey, helping them achieve global standards and attain certification for their hotels.
“Our responsibility is to raise awareness about sustainability among both our consumers and accommodation partners. We are thrilled to support the industry in developing the knowledge and working towards third-party certifications,” shares Omri Morgenshtern, Agoda’s CEO.
The in-person training programs offered by GSTC and Agoda equip hoteliers with the skills and knowledge necessary to implement more sustainable tourism practices and adopt policies that meet the GSTC Standards, the global standards for sustainability in travel and tourism. Upon successful completion of the training, participants receive a certificate of attendance and fulfill the training requirement for earning the GSTC Professional Certificate in Sustainable Tourism.
Broadening Horizons: Scaling the Program
2022: The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and the Singapore Hotel Association (SHA) jointly launched the Hotel Sustainability Roadmap as part of Singapore’s ambition to become a top sustainable urban destination. In support of this roadmap, we hosted our first training program with GSTC in Singapore, welcoming 50 hotel professionals. Following that, we collaborated with the Tainan City Government to bring the training to another 30 hoteliers in Tainan, Taiwan.
2023: We partnered with the Ministry of Tourism and Sports (MOTS) and the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) to conduct our third in-person training session in Bangkok, Thailand. Next, we hosted a training session in Goa, India, in line with the ‘Travel for LiFE’ initiative, which expanded our reach to over 200 hoteliers in total.
2024: We expanded our in-person training sessions to five locations over seven months, reaching Jaipur, India; Kathmandu, Nepal; Colombo, Sri Lanka; Cebu, the Philippines, and Bali, Indonesia. We conducted these sessions in collaboration with local hotel associations and tourism boards in each country to ensure wider access to our training. With the conclusion of the year’s training sessions in Bali in October, we’ve reached nearly 500 hoteliers. We also awarded participants more than USD $10,000 worth of scholarships toward earning further professional credentials.
2025: We continued the program’s momentum by strategically expanding our focus to Northeast Asia, aligning with Agoda’s increased footprint in the region. In September, we held back-to-back training sessions in Seoul, South Korea, and Tokyo, Japan, engaging more than 70 hoteliers in these key markets.
“Since the start of our partnership with GSTC, our journey has focused on equipping hoteliers with the skills and knowledge to champion sustainable travel. It’s very rewarding to build a network of responsible tourism leaders from our partner hotels,” shares Boratay Uysal, Agoda’s Senior Sustainability Manager.
The Future of Sustainable Travel
Our free digital sustainability training platform, the Sustainable Tourism Academy, has fully launched and is accessible at sustainabletourismacademy.org. This self-paced virtual learning resource complements our in-person efforts and is designed to significantly broaden access to sustainability education.
The platform’s curriculum is built around the GSTC Standard and covers critical areas like Sustainable Management, Socioeconomic Impacts, Cultural Impacts, and Environmental Impacts. To ensure practical application across the region, the Academy offers localized, interactive learning modules and supplementary study materials in English and regional languages such as Thai, Vietnamese, Malay, and Indonesian. All those who complete the training receive a certificate recognized by GSTC.
By working together with partners like GSTC, we hope to create a more sustainable future for travel—one that benefits both travelers and the local communities they visit.
