WTTC: More than 1,300 hotels Part of ‘Sustainability Basics’ Scheme

Photo source: WTTC

The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) announced that its Hotel Sustainability Basics initiative is set to end if first year on a high with more than 1,300 hotels verified, across more than 30 countries from around the world.

The Hotel Sustainability Basics is an independent global sustainability verification program, overseen by internationally recognized verifiers, Green Key and SGS.

The aim is for hotels around the world, regardless of their size, to follow a 12 step program to reduce carbon emissions, protect and promote nature, and ensure local communities benefit from the hotel. Launched last year, it is the only independent scheme that gives hotels a helping hand to look at their environmental impact.

It is achievable for all hotels to implement as a bare minimum, and crucially, they serve as a stepping-stone to more complex sustainability schemes.

According to the WTTC, whole countries have committed to make real, lasting change, through the Hotel Sustainability Basics program, which underscores a global commitment to sustainable Travel & Tourism from across the hospitality industry.

“Hotel Sustainability Basics has gone from strength to strength in its first year and we’re expecting thousands more properties to adopt the initiative throughout 2024,” WTTC President & CEO Julia Simpson said.

In its first year, Hotel Sustainability Basics has been endorsed by destinations around the world such as the Caribbean, Mauritius, Colombia, Abu Dhabi, Azerbaijan, Mexico, and Ecuador.

The ‘Basics’ has also been adopted by a number of major hotel brands around the world such as Jin Jiang, the world’s second biggest hotel group with more than 10,000 hotels, European hotel giant Louvre Hotel Group, and Radisson Hotel Group.

Other major brands which have signed up Hotel Sustainability Basics include adventure travel specialist Intrepid, British Airways Holidays, HotelBeds, WebBeds, and Abercrombie & Kent.

Moreover, the WTTC recently partnered with the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), cementing a clear pathway in the hospitality sustainability journey. The global tourism body expects the collaboration to establish a structured framework from the Basics towards advanced global standards for hotel sustainability.