The World Travel & Tourism Council’s (WTTC) groundbreaking initiative, the Hotel Sustainability Basics, is concluding its first year with remarkable success. This ambitious program has seen over 1,300 hotels from more than 30 countries achieve sustainability verification, showcasing the global hospitality industry’s commitment to environmental responsibility and community engagement.
Hotel Sustainability Basics
Launched as an independent global sustainability verification program, Hotel Sustainability Basics is supervised by Green Key and SGS, both internationally recognized verifiers. The program sets forth a 12-step framework designed for hotels of all sizes. Its primary objectives are to minimize carbon emissions, nurture nature, and ensure local communities benefit from hotel operations.
A key aspect of the Basics is its accessibility and practicality, making it achievable for all hotels as a fundamental standard. These steps also act as a gateway to more intricate sustainability schemes, laying a foundation for continual environmental improvement.
Endorsements from Various Global Destinations
In its inaugural year, the initiative has garnered endorsements from various global destinations, including the Caribbean, Mauritius, Colombia, Abu Dhabi, Azerbaijan, Mexico, and Ecuador. Additionally, major hotel brands such as Jin Jiang, Louvre Hotel Group, and Radisson Hotel Group have adopted the Basics, reinforcing the program’s international appeal and effectiveness.
The initiative’s success is further bolstered by the support of various travel and hospitality giants like Intrepid, British Airways Holidays, HotelBeds, WebBeds, and Abercrombie & Kent. This collective endorsement signifies a unified commitment to sustainable travel and tourism, with expectations for thousands more hotels to join the initiative in the coming year.
A significant milestone was the recent partnership between WTTC and the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), which promises a structured framework leading from the Basics to advanced global standards in hotel sustainability. This collaboration aims to create a cohesive and comprehensive approach to sustainable practices in the hospitality sector.
Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO, expressed enthusiasm about the program’s progress. “Basics is the only independent scheme offering hotels practical steps to assess and improve their environmental impact. With countries worldwide committed to making tangible changes, we anticipate a continued surge in participation and impact in 2024,” she stated.
Satu Rouhiainen, Sustainability Manager at British Airways Holidays, highlighted the importance of collaborative efforts in sustainability. “By supporting the Hotel Sustainability Basics, we provide our hotel partners with recognized criteria to start their sustainability journey, while offering our customers options for environmentally-conscious accommodations,” Rouhiainen explained.
WTTC’s commitment to leading sustainable travel and tourism is unwavering. Through ongoing collaborations and setting new benchmarks in sustainability, the council is dedicated to ensuring a thriving, inclusive, and sustainable future for the travel and tourism sector.
