Capacity Building and Training in Tourism to Ensure Sustainability and Expand Business Opportunities

Expert Team at TrainingAid
Training, skills development and sustainable tourism are the main theme of the September / October 2017 edition of Connected Visitor Economy Bulletin, an e-publication by Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) covering key industry trends and developments.
Entitled "Boosting Sustainability Skills, Expanding Business Opportunities", this edition examines how tourism destinations and businesses can further develop HCD (human capital development) in sustainable tourism, and why investing in people is a critical part not only of sustainability practices, but also business performance and competitiveness.
The article features the "Tourism Skills and Jobs" report by TrainingAid (2016), which many of our readers have contributed to.
The following is an excerpt from the article. If you would like to learn more, please see the link below.
Ultimately, strengthening the quality of the tourism workforce is also about making the industry more resilient, and better equipping destinations and communities with the knowledge and skills necessary to face various risks and threats posed by changes in socioeconomic, environmental and geopolitical conditions.
In addition to supporting and contributing to sustainable development goals, HCD – investing in people – in tourism is an integral part of the viability and competitiveness of the sector.
[T]he “Tourism Skills and Jobs” report by TrainingAid (2016), which indicates that many tourism industry employers see sustainability skills as among the most important professional competencies both for staff and management positions, while on the other hand employees often either lack awareness or access to opportunities to build sustainability skills.

Investing in training and capacity building in sustainability-related areas, therefore, is an important consideration for tourism organizations, not just to improve their sustainability practices, but also to stay competitive.
Disclosure: The above artcile has been authored by Ayako Ezaki, as part of her work leading the GSTC's Sustainable Tourism Training Program. TrainingAid partners with the GSTC to develop and manage the program.