Can the travel industry use more sustainable travel agents?

With the release of a new “Lifestyle Specialist” course, The Travel Institute announced is actively enabling travel agents to effectively market sustainable travel and tourism. This course joins eight other Lifestyle Specialist courses offered by The Travel Institute each one allowing travel professionals to test and earn an industry recognized credential.

Sponsored by Virtuoso, the new course was created in partnership with Sustainable Travel International (STI), a non-profit organization that promotes responsible travel and supports sustainable development.

“Virtuoso was pleased to support the development of a sustainable travel course in collaboration with The Travel Institute and Sustainable Travel International,” said Mindy Exum, managing director of training & professional development at Virtuoso. “Global economists continue to forecast that international tourism is one of the world’s largest growing industries in the world, increasing three to six percent annually depending on location. We want to encourage awareness and the need for everyone in the travel business to take a responsible approach to tourism so that the world’s remaining biologically diverse habitats and indigenous cultures are protected and preserved for generations to come.”

Focusing on equipping travel counselors with the knowledge of the characteristics and benefits of sustainable travel, agents can learn how to integrate “green” business practices into their existing business operations, choose travel suppliers who demonstrate a commitment to sustainable travel, and explore strategies for practicing sustainable travel and tourism.

The interactive Sustainable Travel Specialist course is available online in The Travel Institute’s e-Learning Center as well as on disk.

A unique opportunity

As part of the fastest growing niche in the travel market, sustainable tourism is a huge business catalyst for agents. Even with all of the self-service options out there, travelers looking for valuable insight on a new or more in-depth travel experience continue to turn to agents’ knowledge and expertise.

“The travel agent community is in a unique position to both service and create demand for sustainable tourism while providing their clients with more authentic and rewarding travel experiences,” explained Brian T. Mullis, president of Sustainable Travel International. “We’re happy to provide them with a distance learning solution that will help them take advantage of the benefits of sustainable tourism.”

It will be interesting, to say the least, to see just how the emergence of “sustainably trained” agents and other travel professionals can perhaps catalyze the industry sector in coming years. Could it be the economic adrenaline shot the travel industry has been looking for?

To learn more about all The Travel Institute’s Lifestyle Specialist courses, visit www.thetravelinstitute.com.