Pre-Conference Training: GSTC Sustainable Tourism Course
Dates: April 19-20, 2026
Location: Royal Phuket City Hotel
Language: English
The GSTC Sustainable Tourism Course provides the knowledge and tools needed to help improve sustainability practices in travel and tourism. The training covers the GSTC Standards (formerly known as GSTC Criteria), the global standards for sustainability in travel and tourism, and provides best practices for businesses and destinations.
With an in-depth understanding of the GSTC Standards, you will be able to make informed decisions on how to implement sustainability practices for your company or destination, and be ready for developing actionable sustainable tourism policies and practices for your organization.
GSTC Training Agenda Course Schedule
The two-day in-person training class combines trainer presentations, group discussions and exercises with hands-on learning opportunities, focused on practical insights into the GSTC Industry Standard and the GSTC Destination Standard, and tangible action steps to applying the Standards.
Exam and Certificate
By completing this 2-day training class, you will meet the training requirement towards earning the GSTC Professional Certificate in Sustainable Tourism.
Once you complete the course, you will have the option to take the GSTC Sustainable Tourism Training Exam. The exam takes place online, and you will have 4 weeks after the course to submit it. If you pass the exam (80% and above passing mark is required), you will receive a Professional Certificate in Sustainable Tourism by the GSTC. The certificate demonstrates your knowledge of sustainable tourism standards and practices.
>> Learn more about GSTC Professional Certificate in Sustainable Tourism
GSTC Trainer
Dr. David Ermen
David is a consultant and speaker, w ith a focus on destination management, service quality improvement, and sustainability in tourism. During his career he has managed large scale consulting and development projectsin Europe, the Middle East, Asia & Oceania. The projects included developing national tourism strategies, establishing tourism training colleges, and creating quality management systems for hospitality operators.
In addition, David researches, teaches and guest lectures on both service management and destination management related topics at international tourism schools. In 2017, David was involved in UNWTO’s International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development as a speaker and research contributor. Recent speaking roles include moderating the Destination Day at the ITB in Berlin and presentations on the management of destinations to avoid overtourism and millennials as sustainable travellers.
Kelly Bricker
Dr. Bricker is Associate Dean and Professor of the Hainan-Arizona State International Tourism College (HAIC), located in Phoenix, Arizona. She completed her Ph.D. research with the Pennsylvania State University, where she specialized in sustainable tourism and protected area management. She has research and teaching interests in ecotourism, sense of place, community development, natural resource management, value of nature-based experiences, and the impacts of tourism. She has authored and edited books on sustainability, which highlight case studies in tourism meeting environmental and societal issues in Sustainable Tourism & the Millennium Development Goals: Effecting Positive Change; educational texts focused on adventure education in Adventure Programing and Travel for the 21st Century and graduate education in De-Mystifying Theories in Tourism Research; and most recently, relevant to current projects, co-edited This Land Is Your Land: Toward a Better Understanding of Nature’s Resiliency-Building and Restorative Power for Armed Forces Personnel, Veterans, and Their Families (Sagamore Publishing, LLC). Dr. Bricker serves the boards of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council, the Tourism and Protected Area Specialist Group of the IUCN, and Tourism Unity. With partners in OARS and her husband, she developed an ecotourism operation called Rivers Fiji.
Jorge Moller
Jorge Moller started with ecotourism in 1985 in the South of Chile, always aware of bringing an environmental education perspective into a tourism experience. Moller is the owner of Darwin’s Trails Chile, a joint English-Chilean inbound Tour Operator with 20 years of experience providing authentic local experiences and local people contact for clients visiting Chile and Patagonia. Jorge works as a consultant with indigenous communities such as the Mapuches, Likan Antai and Rapa-Nui to provide them tools for sustainable development.
As an active member of the Board of the Chilean Tourism Bureau, Moller promotes the country of Chile in a sustainable way so as to include all type of experiences around the multiple Chilean territories. Jorge is also a teacher at the Universidad Catolica and a strategic partner of Fedetur (installing the Sustainable Distiction :S: in Hotels and Tour Operators coming up…). In 2013, Moller participated in the GSTC Early Adopter Program in Chile and had the privilege to represent Chile’s Lake Region at the GSTC AGM in Bonito, Brazil. Jorge was instrumental in the co founding and development of the South American Sustainable Tourism Network (SAST Network), which came into existence after the GSTC AGM and the ESTC in Bonito, Brazil.
Registration Details
Training + Conference
This training fee is USD 320 when joining the training in conjunction with the GSTC2026 Phuket Conference. To register for the course, please select the ‘2-day pre-conference training’ as an add-on when registering for the conference.
Training Only
The training registration fee, if you’re not joining the conference, is USD 470 per person for GSTC members and USD 495 for non-members.
To register separately for the training class ONLY, please register here.
What’s Included
- As part of your course registration, you will receive training materials to be provided before the course; lunch and coffee breaks during the training days; and a Certificate of Attendance confirming your attendance in the class.
- Travel and associated costs are NOT included in the course registration fee. Participants are responsible for arranging their own travel to and from the venue, and accommodation during the training days.
- Please note: the exam registration fee (US$ 75 per person) is NOT included in the above course registration fee. If you would like to take the exam after the course, please select the add-on option “Exam & Certificate” when you register. You will also have the option to sign up for the exam and after the course.
Discount Options
- Group Discount (only applicable to GSTC Members attending the GSTC2026 Conference): For groups of 5-10 participants, a reduced registration option (USD 300 per person) is available. If you would like to sign up as a group of 5 and more, please contact us (training@gstc.org) for more details.
- Need-Based Discount: For students (currently enrolled full-time in a university program) and professionals with genuine needs, a limited number of need-based discounts are available. Please see the application form here.
 The GSTC2026 Phuket aims to bring together global leaders, industry professionals, destination representatives, and experts committed to advancing sustainable tourism worldwide. By creating a collaborative environment, GSTC2026 will facilitate knowledge exchange, strengthen partnerships, and inspire collective action toward more sustainable and resilient tourism systems. |
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