The Nippon Travel Agency (NTA) sponsored the GSTC Sustainable Tourism Training for its team and local stakeholders in Tokyo, Japan. The three-day GSTC Training in Japanese was held from June 4th to June 6th, 2024.
GSTC Trainer Kazuhiro Arai, Representative of Daisetsuzan Nature School, led the training. He communicated his knowledge and expertise through hands-on examples and insightful perspectives.
Attendees had the opportunity to visit the Imperial Hotel Tokyo, where they learned strategies to minimize negative impacts—such as eliminating plastics, improving waste management, and ensuring decent work conditions. They also explored ways to maximize tourism’s positive contributions, exemplified by organizing local school group visits to the hotel and staff participation in environmental activities in the local park.
Additionally, attendees toured the Ueno-nakadori shopping district, discussing the challenges of managing a densely populated area frequented by many locals and visitors. After talking to the Vice Chairman, Masahiro Chino, and looking at the site, they were inspired to be creative with stakeholders to solve issues and enhance the value of the shopping street.
The GSTC Sustainable Tourism Course provided participants with the essential knowledge and skills to champion sustainable tourism practices. It presented an excellent opportunity to delve into the GSTC Criteria the global standards for sustainability in tourism and travel. The inclusion of global and local case studies enhanced the value of the training.
Upon successful course completion, participants receive a certificate of completion and become eligible to take an optional official exam to obtain the GSTC Professional Certificate in Sustainable Tourism.
If you are interested in contributing to the industry’s sustainable transformation, consider checking out GSTC’s upcoming courses here.
