One of the final criteria needed to earn your certification is to submit a white paper OR an alternative project. Your work must be original, i.e., it cannot be taken from the internet or generated by artificial intelligence (AI) without attribution.

This page has the general information you will need to complete this requirement.

White Paper Criteria

The white paper must:

• Be related to course content.
• Be between 2000 and 3000 words in length.
• Include a cover page with the title of the paper, your name, company name, telephone number and e-mail address. Your name must also be on all subsequent pages.
• Contain proper attribution and sourcing when referencing quotes, fact, figures, etc.

Alternative Project

As an alternative to a white paper, you can submit a substantive project related to course content (can be retroactive one year), such as:

• An article (with a minimum of 2000 words) you’ve had published in a trade publication.
• A travel advisor training class, event, webinar, or breakout session you’ve created, e.g. a training program on selling group travel.
• A travel advisor training presentation you did to help advisors sell a particular industry segment, e.g., expedition travel, cruises, etc.
• Team training you’ve performed, e.g., increasing communication between your business development managers (BDMs) and your travel advisors.

For all projects, you must include all slides, scripts, resources or research you relied upon, applicable activities, etc.

Email the white paper or project to Pat Gagnon, CTC, at pgagnon@thetravelinstitute.com or mail to:
or mail to:

• The Travel Institute
  Attn: Pat Gagnon CTC
  945 Concord Street
  Framingham, MA 01701

Grading:
The white paper or project is graded on a pass/fail basis and is evaluated on the following criteria:

• Timely and relevant content
• Proper substantiation of information
• Acceptable adherence to basic grammar and spelling rules
• Adherence to established essay-writing structure, i.e. begin with a statement of purpose or thesis that is supported and concluded with a summary of the main points

Results:
Candidates will receive their results within 21 business days of submission. Anything needing improvement will be returned with suggestions for change.

Publishing and Use:
By submitting a white paper to The Travel Institute, the author grants The Travel Institute permission to publish, reproduce, excerpt, edit, adapt, repurpose, distribute, display, and promote the submission, in whole or in part, in print, digital, educational, marketing, and other media. The Travel Institute may use the submission to create related educational content and resources. When the author’s original work or expertise substantially contributes to published content, The Travel Institute will provide appropriate author or expert attribution.

Topics:
Please submit your topic to Pat Gagnon, CTC at pgagnon@thetravelinstitute.com for approval. If you need help with sample topics to help start you thinking, Pat can help with that too!