In its maiden year, World Travel and Tourism Council’s sustainability verification programme ‘Hotel Sustainability Basics’ sees over verification of over 1,300 hotels in 30 countries that pledge to cut carbon emissions.

World Travel and Tourism Council’s (WTTC) ‘Hotel Sustainability Basics’ programme is set to end its first year on a high with more than 1,300 hotels verified from across over 30 countries. 

According to a press statement by WTTC, the Hotel Sustainability Basics is an independent global sustainability verification programme, overseen by internationally recognised verifiers, Green Key and SGS. 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.  

WTTC says that the programme’s aim is for global hotels, regardless of their size, to follow a 12-step programme to reduce carbon emissions, protect and promote nature and ensure local communities benefit from the hotel. 

The ‘basics’ have also been adopted by a number of major hotel brands around the world such as Chinese hospitality brand Jin Jiang, the world’s second biggest hotel group with more than 10,000 hotels, European hotel giant Louvre Hotel Group and US-based Radisson Hotel Group. 

The statement adds that other major brands which have signed up Hotel Sustainability Basics include adventure travel specialist Intrepid, British Airways Holidays, HBX Group, WebBeds, Biosphere, and Abercrombie and Kent. Together, this underscores a global commitment to sustainable travel from across the hospitality industry and WTTC expects thousands more hotels from all four corners of the globe will adopt Hotel Sustainability Basics next year, it adds in the press statement. 

“Basics is a global programme to support hotels to cut emissions, support local communities and protect nature. Launched last year, it is the only independent scheme that gives hotels a helping hand to look at their environmental impact. The take up of Basics is going from strength to strength with whole countries com-mitted to make real, lasting change,’’ says Julia Simpson, WTTC President and CEO.

The statement adds that the recently announced partnership between WTTC, the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance (SHA) and the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) has significantly cemented a clear pathway in the hospitality sustainability journey. 

WTTC says that this collaboration will establish a structured framework from the Basics towards advanced global standards for hotel sustainability.

“As we look to the future, our focus remains on strengthening these efforts, ensuring that every step we take brings us closer to a unified vision of sustainability in hospitality. Hotel Sustainability Basics has gone from strength to strength in its first year and we are expecting thousands more properties to adopt the initiative throughout 2024,” says Simpson.

“Working closely together with our industry and value chain partners is paramount to British Airways Holidays. We are delighted to be supporting the Hotel Sustainability Basics, offering our hotel partners a fair and industry recognised criteria to start their sustainability journey. Not only does it give us visibility of the hotels’ progress, but it also provides our customers a way to search for hotels that are committed to progressing in sustainability,” says Satu Rouhiainen, Sustainability Manager, British Airways Holidays.