Sustainable Tourism Specialist Certificate and Professional Certification Program

The travel and tourism industry earns $6 trillion, or 9.5% of the global GDP, and employs nearly 260 million people around the globe. Endorsed by George Washington University, Sustainable Travel International's Sustainable Tourism Specialist and Sustainable Tourism Professional programs are designed to give you the skills and knowledge necessary to facilitate professional growth and maximize your career opportunities in this diverse, exciting and expanding industry.

Jump to Course Descriptions

Why Sustainable Tourism?

96% of CEOs believe that sustainability issues should be fully integrated into the strategy and operations of a company (UN Global Compact–Accenture CEO Study 2010).

As the travel and tourism industry has evolved, corporate social responsibility has become commonplace and destination-level strategy has stepped into the spotlight. As a result, industry leaders are recognizing the value of transparency and accountability to their customer base, and professional development has become a critical component at every level.

Presented by Sustainable Travel International (STI), a recognized global leader in innovative tourism development, this fast-paced program ensures that industry professionals are prepared for the constantly evolving challenges and opportunities of the travel and tourism world.

Courses are available for a variety of experience levels, from entry-level to executive, and are presented in a self-paced, online format. Upon completion, you will receive an official certificate or certification from STI.

Which certification program is right for you?

Sustainable Travel International currently offers two dynamic programs for specialty certification which utilize United States Agency for International Development (USAID) developed content:

Sustainable Tourism Specialist

• Fee: $200*
• Includes:
• Access to the Global Tourism: Achieving Sustainable Goals course
• Examination
• Verification of experience in tourism
• Digital Sustainable Tourism Specialist Certificate upon completion 
• Qualifications: Applicants for the Sustainable Tourism Specialist Certificate must have demonstrated employment and experience in tourism, and a cursory knowledge of sustainable tourism.
• Time Requirement: 4-5 hours for just in time learning, though we encourage participants to take their time. For participants who want to be more thoughtful and consider the possible applications of the material, it will take approximately 8-12 hours to complete this course, including exercises, quizzes, two short webinars and an examination**.
• Additional Requirements: Participants must sign a code of ethics, complete a timed examination for the Global Tourism: Achieving Sustainable Goals course, and demonstrate 1 year of experience within the tourism industry.

Sustainable Tourism Professional

• Fee: $450*
• Includes:
• Access to the eight sustainable tourism courses outlined below
• Project Development for Sustainable Tourism: A Step by Step Approach
• Tourism Destination Management: Achieving Sustainable and Competitive Results
• Tourism Investment and Finance: Accessing Sustainable Funding and Social Impact Capital
• Sustainable Tourism Enterprise Development: A Business Planning Approach
• Tourism Workforce Development: A Guide to Assessing and Designing Programs
• Scientific, Academic, Volunteer, and Educational Travel: Connecting Responsible Travelers with Sustainable Destinations
• Tourism and Conservation: Sustainable Models and Strategies
• Powering Tourism: Electrification and Efficiency Options for Rural Tourism Facilities
• Examination
• Verification of experience in sustainable tourism, including evidence of practice
• Digital Sustainable Tourism Professional Certification upon completion.
• Qualifications: Applicants for Sustainable Tourism Professional Certification must have worked in sustainable tourism for a minimum of three years, actively engage in sustainable tourism practices and demonstrate a detailed knowledge of sustainable tourism.
• Time Requirement: 4-5 hours per course for just in time learning, though we encourage participants to take their time. For participants who want to be more thoughtful and consider the possible applications of the material, it will take approximately 8-12 hours to complete each course, including exercises, quizzes, two short webinars and an examination**.
• Requirements: Participants must sign a code of ethics, complete a timed examination for three (3) courses of their choosing, and demonstrate 3 years of experience within the tourism industry.

*Discounts: Groups of 20 individuals or more may receive discounts for the certificate or certification.
**Participants may re-take the online examination if they don't pass

Course Descriptions

Global Tourism — Achieving Goals: This course is an introduction to the sustainable tourism movement, as well as how tourism can be used to accomplish sustainable development objectives from a local to a global scale.

Sustainable Tourism Project Development — A Step by Step Approach:In this course participants will learn the approach and steps needed to create an outline for a sustainable tourism project.

Tourism Destination Management — Achieving Sustainable and Competitive Results: This course examines how destinations have improved competitiveness by creating environmentally and socially friendly tourism products and services. The course emphasizes establishing policies and management plans to identify and reduce negative impacts created by tourism facilities and services, and looks at how to create public-private sector management systems with broad stakeholder support.

Tourism Investment and Finance — Accessing Sustainable Funding and Social Impact Capital: In this course students will learn how to successfully promote and facilitate private investment and financing for sustainable tourism projects.

Sustainable Tourism Enterprise Development — A Business Planning Approach: This course describes how to establish and develop a tourism business enterprise. General business principles are discussed and then tailored to the tourism industry.

Tourism Workforce Development — A Guide to Program Assessment and Design: In this course students will learn about the high rates of unemployment among youths in developing countries, as well as how to create and implement tourism workforce development programs and assessments, which can increase the competitiveness of a destination while also providing jobs and economic growth.

Powering Tourism — Electrification and Efficiency Options for Rural Tourism Facilities: Powering Tourism provides information to help tourism professionals understand and evaluate the range of options for meeting their off-grid energy needs, highlighting efficient and sustainable use of energy. The guide provides a seven-step approach to guide the reader through the process of creating a reliable and affordable energy system by working with staff and visitors, equipment vendors, installers, financial institutions, and energy service providers.

Scientific, Academic, Volunteer & Education (SAVE) Travel Network Development: This course describes the steps necessary for designing a SAVE travel and tourism development strategy. It provides guidance for the development of a SAVE center, an entity with a mission to enable the destination to create travel and tourism products that service the SAVE travel market and to link those products to their respective markets.

Tourism and Conservation — Sustainable Models and Strategies: Direct linkages between sustainable tourism, biodiversity conservation, and community development are described as six conservation models. In addition, this course includes the TNC publication, "The Threshold of Sustainability for Tourism within Protected Areas: A Quick Guide for Protected Area Practitioners".

Why choose STI's professional development programs?

These unique certificate and certification programs are aimed at developing a new generation of global sustainable tourism professionals and specialists, who will successfully lead our industry in the challenging years to come.

These courses were developed in 2011 and will be updated regularly, ensuring the content is cutting-edge and connected to the latest industry trends.

Board of Regents

The Sustainable Tourism Specialist and Professional programs are overseen by a Board of Regents. This committee of sustainable tourism thought leaders have general supervision over the quality and integrity of the program.

Verify Certification

Completion of the Sustainable Tourism Specialist and Professional programs can be verified online.

Participant knowledge will be demonstrated through testing, while practice will be demonstrated through portfolios and integrity through signing a code of ethics.

Non-compliance

If a Specialist or Professional appears to be in non-compliance with the program, at STI's sole discretion, a written warning will be issued. If the individual fails to address the issue of non-compliance, at STI's sole discretion, their certificate or certification status will be immediately withdrawn. Upon the withdrawal of their status, the individual found to be in non-compliance must cease to market themselves as a STI Sustainable Tourism Specialist or Professional. STI will adjust its records and publicly available information to reflect the termination.