Agoda, the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) have partnered to provide sustainability training for hoteliers across Asia, with programmes set up for Indonesia, Laos, Nepal, and the Philippines.
The Sustainable Tourism Development Initiative builds on the success of Agoda’s ongoing partnership with the GSTC, which has provided sustainability education for hundreds of hoteliers to date across India, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand to support the industry to meet the rising consumer demand for more sustainable accommodation options. Support from USAID comes the US-Supporting Economic Growth in Asia activity.
The self-paced training course offers localised, interactive learning modules, supplementary study materials, and quizzes that address the distinct sustainability challenges across the region.
Covering different aspects of the GSTC Hotel Criteria, the global standard for sustainability in travel and tourism, the platform will provide an introduction to sustainability and sustainable tourism, insights into global trends and industry best practices, and practical tools on applying these learnings. The learning materials on the platform will be available in English and regional languages.
Furthermore, a sustainability scholarship fund has been established to support select hotels across the region, particularly those that are small, medium, and women-owned enterprises. Financial aid will go towards further training and third-party sustainability certifications recognised by GSTC.
Omri Morgenshtern, CEO of Agoda, said: “It is our responsibility to raise awareness about sustainability among both our consumers and accommodation partners, and are thrilled to support the industry in developing the knowledge and working towards third-party certifications.”
USAID India Mission Director Veena Reddy, stated: “USAID believes it is critical to work in collaboration with the private sector to drive sustainable development progress, including mitigating climate change. Tourism, when sustainable, provides an important pathway for inclusive economic growth and preservation of cultural heritage, and can be a valuable tool for environmental conservation.”
Randy Durband, CEO of GSTC, said paricipants in the training programme will earn the “opportunity to enhance their professional credentials and marketability in the hospitality industry, opening doors to career advancement opportunities in the future”.
Korean Air is discussing with Airbus to procure 33 A350 family aircraft, which includes 27 A350-1000s and six A350-900s, valued at US$13.7 billion.
The order will supplement the airline’s long-term fleet operations as it gradually retires its older aircraft. The procurement of the next-generation, eco-friendly A350 is not only aligned with the airlines’ sustainability efforts, but is seen also as preparation for the integration of Asiana Airlines.
The A350-1000 is the largest in the A350 family, and can accommodate from 350 to 410 passengers in a standard three-class configuration. The aircraft makes use of advanced composite materials, resulting in reduction in fuel consumption and carbon emissions of up to 25 per cent, in comparison to similarly sized previous generation aircraft models.
With the longest flight range among existing passenger aircraft, the A350-1000 can operate up to 16,000km with full payload.
The A350-900 variant is about seven metres shorter than the A350-1000 with a range of 15,370km and typically seats 300-350 passengers in a three class layout. The airline can deploy the aircraft on its longhaul routes such as Seoul Incheon-New York, where the airline currently operates two daily flights.
Korean Air continues to prioritise fleet modernisation and reduction of carbon emissions through the operation of new aircraft and other sustainability activities. It has plans to introduce 50 Airbus A321neos, 10 Boeing 787-9s, 20 Boeing 787-10s, and 30 Boeing 737-8s.