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About the Academy

The Sustainable Tourism Academy is a free, digital learning platform tailored for industry professionals to enhance their knowledge and skills in sustainable tourism practices.

The academy content is carefully curated and optimized for an exceptional online learning experience. Built on the GSTC Industry Standard for Hotels, the course materials provide comprehensive guidance on sustainable management, socioeconomic impact, cultural impact, and environmental impact.

Available free of charge and on demand, the academy allows participants to learn at their own pace and explore best practices and on‑the‑ground perspectives with interactive exercises and self‑assessments. All those who complete the academy training receive a certificate of completion recognized by GSTC.

About the Partnership

The Sustainable Tourism Academy represents the ongoing collaboration between digital travel platform Agoda and the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), which began in 2022. This initiative started by providing in‑person sustainability trainings across Asia. The partners then strategically expanded the Academy to include this digital platform to meet growing training demand. The digital component was developed in cooperation with Love Frankie, combining GSTC’s world‑leading standards with Agoda’s vast industry reach to maximize accessibility.

Omri Morgenshtern

CEO of Agoda

“It is our responsibility 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.”

Randy Durband

CEO of GSTC

“The knowledge and skills acquired from our trainings serve as a crucial step for hoteliers to obtain credible third-party sustainability certifications for their properties and effectively navigate the process with a thorough understanding of the GSTC Hotel Standard.”

Academy Testimonials

The Sustainable Tourism Academy is a comprehensive and practical digital training platform that has greatly benefited me, and I encourage everyone in the tourism industry to leverage it.
Chhairaing TuyDirector of Talent and Culture, Rosewood Hotel Group
We have found the Sustainable Tourism Academy content to be incredibly practical, insightful, and highly relevant to our operations. It has not only strengthened our knowledge but also inspired our team to integrate more sustainable practices into our daily work.
Lanllalin Nitipoj DamrongdechaphithakSustainability Manager, Samed Resorts Group
The best part of the training was the focus on implementing the GSTC criteria. It helped me visualize how I can apply sustainable practices when I go back to the resort.
Monica Gloria ManluluyoCorporate Organizational Development Manager, Bluewater Resorts
I had an enriching learning experience with the training, where I explored innovative strategies for sustainable tourism, particularly community-based programs that empower local stakeholders and promote long-term environmental stewardship.
Mark Anthony SolderoMoalboal Tropics Resort
The practical examples and interactive components were the highlights of the training.
Janith JayawardeneSales, Marketing, and Business Development Manager, Galadari Hotel
The business cases featured in the training were extremely helpful.
Jeralen PableoVivien’s Hotel

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Sustainable Tourism Academy Terms and Conditions

Last updated: April 1, 2025

The terms of use outlined on this page govern our relationship with users who visit or interact with our site. By using or accessing our site, you agree to the following statements:

Interpretation and Definitions

Interpretation

The words of which the initial letter is capitalized have meanings defined under the following conditions: The following definitions shall have the same meaning regardless of whether they appear in singular or in plural:

Definitions

For the purposes of these Terms and Conditions:

  • Device means any device that can access the Service such as a computer, a cellphone or a digital tablet.
  • Service refers to the Application or the Website or both.
  • Terms and Conditions (also referred as “Terms”) mean these Terms and Conditions that form the entire agreement between You and Sustainable Tourism Academy regarding the use of the Service.
  • Third-party Social Media Service means any services or content (including data, information, products or services) provided by a third-party that may be displayed, included or made available by the Service.
  • Website refers to the Sustainable Tourism Academy, accessible from www.sustainabletourismacademy.org
  • You means the individual accessing or using the Service, or the company, or other legal entity on behalf of which such individual is accessing or using the Service, as applicable.

Acknowledgment

These are the Terms and Conditions governing the use of this Service and the agreement that operates between You and Sustainable Tourism Academy. These Terms and Conditions set out the rights and obligations of all users regarding the use of the Service.

Your access to and use of the Service is conditioned on Your acceptance of and compliance with these Terms and Conditions. These Terms and Conditions apply to all visitors, users and others who access or use the Service.

By accessing or using the Service You agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions. If You disagree with any part of these Terms and Conditions then You may not access the Service.

Your access to and use of the Service is also conditioned on Your acceptance of and compliance with Our Privacy Policy. Our Privacy Policy describes Our policies and procedures on the collection, use and disclosure of Your personal information when You use the Application or the Website and tells You about Your privacy rights and how the law protects You. Please read Our Privacy Policy carefully before using Our Service.

Use

You agree:

  • You will not send or post unauthorized commercial communications or spam.
  • You will not harass or intimidate other users or visitors.
  • You will not post hateful, threatening, violent, pornographic, graphic, gratuitous, or obscene material.
  • You will not upload viruses or malicious code.
  • You will not solicit login information for any account except your own.
  • You will not post anyone else’s personal information on this site without their express written consent.
  • You will not add content to this site that violates intellectual property rights, copyrights, or trademarks.
  • You will not do anything unlawful on this site.
  • You will not facilitate or encourage any violation of these terms of use.

When registering for an account or establishing a profile, you agree:

  • You will create a personal account with your real name.
  • You will keep your information accurate and up to date.
  • You will not provide false or misleading personal information.
  • You will not create an account for others without their permission.
  • You are at least 18 years old.
  • You will not use this site if you are prohibited from doing so by any applicable laws.
  • You will not disclose your password to others, let anyone log in with your account, or otherwise jeopardize your account’s security.
  • You will not transfer your account to anyone else under any circumstance.

Links to Other Websites

Our Service may contain links to third-party web sites or services that are not owned or controlled by Us.

We have no control over, and assume no responsibility for, the content, privacy policies, or practices of any third-party web sites or services. You further acknowledge and agree that We shall not be responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any such content, goods or services available on or through any such web sites or services.

We strongly advise You to read the terms and conditions and privacy policies of any third-party web sites or services that You visit.

Violation of Terms and Termination

We may terminate or suspend Your access immediately, without prior notice or liability, for any reason whatsoever, including without limitation if You violate these Terms and Conditions.

Upon termination, Your right to use the Service will cease immediately.

Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, in no event shall We be liable for any special, incidental, indirect, or consequential damages whatsoever (including, but not limited to, damages for loss of profits, loss of data or other information, for business interruption, for personal injury, loss of privacy arising out of or in any way related to the use of or inability to use the Service, third-party software and/or third-party hardware used with the Service, or otherwise in connection with any provision of this Terms), even if We have been advised of the possibility of such damages and even if the remedy fails of its essential purpose.

“As Is” and “As Available” Disclaimer

The Service is provided to You “As Is” and “As Available” and with all faults and defects without warranty of any kind. To the maximum extent permitted under applicable law, We expressly disclaim all warranties, whether express, implied, statutory or otherwise, with respect to the Service, including all implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title and non-infringement, and warranties that may arise out of course of dealing, course of performance, usage or trade practice. Without limitation to the foregoing, We provide no warranty or undertaking, and makes no representation of any kind that the Service will meet Your requirements, achieve any intended results, be compatible or work with any other software, applications, systems or services, operate without interruption, meet any performance or reliability standards or be error free or that any errors or defects can or will be corrected.

Without limiting the foregoing, We make no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied: (i) as to the operation or availability of the Service, or the information, content, and materials or products included thereon; (ii) that the Service will be uninterrupted or error-free; (iii) as to the accuracy, reliability, or currency of any information or content provided through the Service; or (iv) that the Service, its servers, the content, or e-mails sent from or on behalf of Us are free of viruses, scripts, trojan horses, worms, malware, timebombs or other harmful components.

Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion of certain types of warranties or limitations on applicable statutory rights of a consumer, so some or all of the above exclusions and limitations may not apply to You. But in such a case the exclusions and limitations set forth in this section shall be applied to the greatest extent enforceable under applicable law.

Disputes Resolution

If You have any concern or dispute about the Service, You agree to first try to resolve the dispute informally by contacting us at www.sustainabletourismacademy.org/contact.

For European Union (EU) Users

If You are a European Union consumer, you will benefit from any mandatory provisions of the law of the country in which You are resident.

Severability and Waiver

Severability

If any provision of these Terms is held to be unenforceable or invalid, such provision will be changed and interpreted to accomplish the objectives of such provision to the greatest extent possible under applicable law and the remaining provisions will continue in full force and effect.

Waiver

Except as provided herein, the failure to exercise a right or to require performance of an obligation under these Terms shall not affect a party’s ability to exercise such right or require such performance at any time thereafter nor shall the waiver of a breach constitute a waiver of any subsequent breach.

Translation Interpretation

These Terms and Conditions may have been translated if We have made them available to You on our Service. You agree that the original English text shall prevail in the case of a dispute.

Changes to These Terms and Conditions

We reserve the right, at Our sole discretion, to modify or replace these Terms at any time. If a revision is material, We will make reasonable efforts to provide at least 30 days notice prior to any new terms taking effect. What constitutes a material change will be determined at Our sole discretion.

By continuing to access or use Our Service after those revisions become effective, You agree to be bound by the revised terms. If You do not agree to the new terms, in whole or in part, please stop using the website and the Service.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about these Terms and Conditions, You can contact us:

By visiting this page on our website: www.sustainabletourismacademy.org/contact

Sustainable Tourism Academy Privacy Policy

Last updated: April 1, 2025

Thank you for visiting the Sustainable Tourism Academy.

This Privacy Policy describes Our policies and procedures on the collection, use, and disclosure of Your information when You use the Service and tells You about Your privacy rights and how the law protects You.

We use Your personal information to provide and improve the Service. By using the Service, You agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

Interpretation and Definitions

Interpretation

The words of which the initial letter is capitalized have meanings defined under the following conditions: The following definitions shall have the same meaning regardless of whether they appear in singular or in plural:

Definitions

For the purposes of this Privacy Policy:

  • Account means a unique account created for You to access our Service or parts of our Service.
  • Cookies are small files that are placed on Your computer, mobile device or any other device by a website, containing the details of Your browsing history on that website among its many uses.
  • Device means any device that can access the Service such as a computer, a cellphone or a digital tablet.
  • Personal Information is any information that relates to an identified or identifiable individual.
  • Service refers to the Website.
  • Usage Data refers to data collected automatically, either generated by the use of the Service or from the Service infrastructure itself (e.g., the duration of a page visit).
  • Website refers to the Sustainable Tourism Academy, accessible from www.sustainabletourismacademy.org.
  • You means the individual accessing or using the Service, or the company, or other legal entity on behalf of which such individual is accessing or using the Service, as applicable.
  • Sustainable Tourism Academy Partners refers to, Agoda and the Global Sustainable Tourism Council, which are the organizations that collaborate on the design and content of the Sustainable Tourism Academy website.

Collecting and Using Your Personal Information

Types of Information Collected

Personal Information – Voluntarily Provided and Collected

While using Our Service, We may ask You to provide Us with certain personally identifiable information that can be used to contact or identify You. Personally identifiable information may include, but is not limited to:

  • First Name
  • Last Name
  • Email address
  • Geographic Location
  • Usage Data

Usage Data – Automatically Collected

Usage Data is collected automatically when using the Service.

Usage Data may include information such as Your Device’s Internet Protocol address (e.g., Internet Protocol address or IP address), browser type, browser version, the pages of our Service that You visit, the time and date of Your visit, the time spent on those pages, unique device identifiers and other diagnostic data.

When You access the Service by or through a mobile device, We may collect certain information automatically, including, but not limited to, the type of mobile device You use, Your mobile device unique ID, the IP address of Your mobile device, Your mobile operating system, the type of mobile Internet browser You use, unique device identifiers and other diagnostic data.

We may also collect information that Your browser sends whenever You visit our Service or when You access the Service by or through a mobile device.

Tracking Technologies and Cookies

We use Cookies and similar tracking technologies to track the activity on Our Service and store certain information. Tracking technologies used are beacons, tags, and scripts to collect and track information and to improve and analyze Our Service. We will process email addresses and IP addresses, and cookies will be stored on the browser for 13 months. The data will only be processed by Love Frankie and the web hosting platform, Cloudways. The technologies We use may include:

  • Cookies or Browser Cookies. A cookie is a small file placed on Your Device. You can instruct Your browser to refuse all Cookies or to indicate when a Cookie is being sent. However, if You do not accept Cookies, You may not be able to use some parts of our Service. Unless you have adjusted Your browser setting so that it will refuse Cookies, our Service may use Cookies.
  • Web Beacons. Certain sections of our Service and our emails may contain small electronic files known as web beacons (also referred to as clear gifs, pixel tags, and single-pixel gifs) that permit Us, e.g., to count users who have visited those pages or opened an email and for other related website statistics (e.g., recording the popularity of a certain section and verifying system and server integrity).

Session Cookies. This site uses temporary or “session” cookies to keep track of activities during each session. These cookies allow the system to identify the responses from users as they use site features and are deleted by the system when the user logs off or closes the browser, thereby ending the session. This site does not use “persistent” cookies.

Some links on this site point to third-party sites, not affiliated with this site, that may place cookies on your computer. You should be aware that third-party sites may still place a cookie on your computer while you are reading the warning message. If you want to avoid such cookies, we encourage you to set your browser to notify you when cookies are being set and allow you to reject them. Your system’s help files will explain how to do this.
We use Session Cookies for the purposes set out below:

Necessary / Essential Cookies

Type: Session Cookies

Administered by: Us

Purpose: These Cookies are essential to provide You with services available through the Website and to enable You to use some of its features. They help to authenticate users and prevent fraudulent use of user accounts. Without these Cookies, the services that You have asked for cannot be provided, and We only use these Cookies to provide You with those services.

Cookies may also be set by the following third-party providers on the Sustainable Tourism Academy site:

  • WordPress: default cookies, which are session and comment cookies. The session cookies track a user’s session, and the comment cookies remember a commenter’s details.
  • LearnDash: LearnDash cookies will be used for course progress.
  • BbPress: Bbpress cookies will be used for Wordpress backend dashboard data.
  • Google Analytics: Google Analytics cookies will be used to analyze site traffic and enhance the user experience.


Usage of a cookie is in no way linked to any personally identifiable information. You can remove or block cookies by changing the settings of your browser.

Use of Your Personal Information

We may use personal information for the following purposes:

To provide and maintain our Service, including to monitor the usage of our Service.

To manage Your Account: to manage Your registration as a user of the Service. The personal information You provide can give You access to different functionalities of the Service that are available to You as a registered user.

To manage Your requests: To attend and manage Your requests to Us if You have submitted a request or question using Our online contact portal.

For other limited purposes: We may use Your information for other purposes, such as data analysis, identifying usage trends, to evaluate and improve our Service.

Information Voluntarily Provided and Collected

If You identify yourself by using our contact page or sending an email:

  • You have voluntarily provided Us with potentially personally identifiable information. We may use that personally identifiable information to respond to Your comment, suggestion, or question. In aggregate, the information may be used to count the number of people corresponding with us via the contact page or email.
  • Creating a user account is optional. Potentially personally identifiable information that is submitted when creating an account: first name, last name, email address and geographic location.

If You identify yourself in order to participate as a registered user:

  • You have voluntarily provided Us with potentially personally identifiable information. The registration information is collected to associate your training progress and exam/quiz results with Your username and for site management purposes. It will only be shared with persons connected with administration of this site. In the case of suspected unauthorized activity, We may use this information for law enforcement and possible criminal prosecution.


Retention of Your Personal Information

We will retain Your personal information only for as long as is necessary for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy. We will retain and use Your personal information to the extent necessary to comply with our legal obligations (e.g., if we are required to retain your data to comply with applicable laws), resolve disputes, and enforce our legal agreements and policies.

We will also retain Usage Data for internal analysis purposes. Usage Data is generally retained for a shorter period of time, except when this data is used to strengthen the security or to improve the functionality of Our Service, or We are legally obligated to retain this data for longer time periods.

Transfer of Your Personal Information

Your information, including personal information, is processed at Our operating offices and in any other places where the parties involved in the processing are located. It means that this information may be transferred to — and maintained on — computers located outside of Your state, province, country or other governmental jurisdiction where the data protection laws may differ than those from Your jurisdiction.

Your consent to this Privacy Policy followed by Your submission of such information represents Your agreement to that transfer.

We will take all steps reasonably necessary to ensure that Your data is treated securely and in accordance with this Privacy Policy and no transfer of Your personal information will take place to an organization or a country unless there are adequate controls in place including the security of Your data and other personal information.

Delete Your Personal Information

You have the right to delete or request that We assist in deleting the personal information that We have collected about You.

Our Service may give You the ability to delete certain information about You from within the Service.

You may update, amend, or delete Your information at any time by signing in to Your Account, if you have one, and visiting the account settings section that allows you to manage Your personal information. You may also contact Us to request access to, correct, or delete any personal information that You have provided to Us.

Please note, however, that We may need to retain certain information when we have a legal obligation or lawful basis to do so.

Disclosure of Your Personal Information

Law enforcement

Under certain circumstances, We may be required to disclose Your personal information if required to do so by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities (e.g., a court or a government agency).

Other legal requirements

We may disclose Your personal information in the good faith belief that such action is necessary to:

  • Comply with a legal obligation
  • Protect and defend Our rights or property.
  • Prevent or investigate possible wrongdoing in connection with the Service
  • Protect the personal safety of Users of the Service or the public
  • Protect against legal liability

Security of Your Personal Information

The security of Your personal information is important to Us, but remember that no method of transmission over the Internet, or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. While We strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect Your personal information, We cannot guarantee its absolute security.

Children’s Privacy

Our Service does not address anyone under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from anyone under the age of 13. If You are a parent or guardian and You are aware that Your child has provided Us with personal information, please contact Us. If We become aware that We have collected personal information from anyone under the age of 13 without verification of parental consent, We take steps to remove that information from Our servers.

If We need to rely on consent as a legal basis for processing Your information and Your country requires consent from a parent, We may require Your parent’s consent before We collect and use that information.

Disclaimer of Liability

Every effort is made to provide accurate and complete information. However, We cannot guarantee that there will be no errors. We make no claims, promises, or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the contents of this website and expressly disclaims liability for errors and omissions in the contents of this website.

Links to Other Websites

Our website has links to government agencies and to private organizations. Once you link to another site, You are subject to the disclaimers and security and privacy policies of the new site. If You click on a third-party link, You will be directed to that third party’s site. We strongly advise You to review the Privacy Policy of every site You visit.

We have no control over and assume no responsibility for the content, privacy policies or practices of any third-party sites or services.

Social Media

The Sustainable Tourism Academy Partners maintain profiles on several third-party social media sites.

Though we encourage commenting and conversation on our social media profiles, please remember that they are public forums and any information provided will be visible to the public. Please do not include personal details such as Your telephone number, email address, or any other personal information that You do not want available to the general public.

Some personally identifying information may become available to Us through Your use of social media (i.e., we can see Your name and picture if You post a comment); however, we will not collect, share, or store that information.

Our presence on social media sites is not intended to endorse, recommend, or favor any third-party company or service provider.

Copyright Notice

Unless a copyright is indicated, information on this website is in the public domain and may be reproduced, published, or otherwise used without permission. We request only that the Website or appropriate author be cited as the source of the information and that any photo credits or bylines be similarly credited to the photographer or author as appropriate.

If a copyright is indicated on a photo, graphic, or any other material, permission to copy these materials must be obtained from the original source. This copyright notice does not pertain to information on websites other than this website.

Site Management

The Sustainable Tourism Academy Partners are responsible for the design and content decisions for the Sustainable Tourism Academy and Love Frankie, a social impact communications and website management firm, provides direct site management and implementation of design and content changes and updates.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update Our Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify You of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page.

We will let You know via email and/or a prominent notice on Our Service, prior to the change becoming effective and update the “Last updated” date at the top of this Privacy Policy.

You are advised to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes. Changes to this Privacy Policy are effective when they are posted on this page.

Contact Us

If You have any questions about this Privacy Policy, or wish to have personally identifiable information removed from this website, please contact us:

By visiting this page on our website: www.sustainabletourismacademy.org/contact

You’re now leaving The Sustainable Tourism Academy and will be directed to an external site that is not subject to our privacy policy. Thank you for visiting! We look forward to welcoming you back soon to continue your learning journey with us.

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