Upscaling Sustainable Tourism Standards in East Africa: Training of Trainers and Auditors for the Proposed Harmonized Sustainable Tourism Standards for East Africa Community (EAC)
Overview
The global tourism industry is rapidly evolving, making it essential to maintain high-quality standards for customer satisfaction, safety, and sustainable growth. In Eastern Africa, the tourism sector is a key economic driver, rich in tourism resources and requiring constant adaptation to meet the diverse needs of its clientele.
To address the challenges and opportunities in this dynamic industry, UNEP’s GO4SDGs Initiative and the One Planet Sustainable Tourism Programme initiated consultative development of the Proposed Harmonized Sustainable Tourism Standards for the East African Community. The standards were developed by Ecotourism Kenya and the Kenya Tourism Federation, with input from key tourism stakeholders from EAC countries. The main goal of the Standards is to guide the tourist accommodation providers, tour operators/travel agents, and those operating travel agents, to apply sustainable and responsible tourism practices as they undertake their business and interact with the host community and environment in a destination, aligning with the EAC region's strategy to become a leading sustainable tourism destination. While the application of these standards will be adapted to suit the unique characteristics of each destination, they are designed to ensure consistent and effective compliance across the region for sustainable tourism growth and development.
To facilitate the implementation of the Proposed Harmonized Sustainable Tourism Standards for the East African Community, the training workshop is being organized for the Auditors and ToT personnel from the EAC member states. The training will equip participants with the knowledge and confidence to help tourism businesses meet the EAC Proposed Harmonized Standards and conduct audits against these standards
The Independent Auditors role, on successful completion of the training will be assessment of the sustainability practices of accommodation providers and tour operators/travel agents as per the standards. These evaluations will ensure alignment with the Proposed Harmonized Sustainable Tourism Standards for EAC, which encompass environmental, social, and economic criteria in line with global sustainable tourism practices, the Sustainable Development Goals and the UN Tourism Indicators.
The Independent Trainers role, on successful completion of the training, will be to support accommodation providers and tour operators/travel agents with tools and knowledge to meet the criteria of the Proposed Harmonized Sustainable Tourism Standards for EAC.
Both roles are best suited to people of self-employed status and are expected to be part-time, with the workload varying based on the number of businesses seeking support and requesting audits to meet the Standards. UNEP is providing support in building the capacity of future independent trainers and auditors, but should not, in any case, be perceived as a potential employer.
The 3-day training is tentatively scheduled for November/December this year in Kenya, with the exact date and location to be confirmed
Interested in this role? Download the TOR below for more information.
Please note that only fully completed forms, accompanied by an up-to-date CV, sent to [email protected] by 7th of October will be considered for review. Successful applicants will be contacted by email.