ITB Berlin: WTTC Announces Step-by-Step Guide to Help Hotels Begin Journey to Sustainability

The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) on Monday announced the Hotel Sustainability Basics (Basics), an industry-backed scheme that will enable tourist accommodation providers from around the world, regardless of their size, to begin their sustainability journey.

Launched last year and officially announced at ITB Berlin, the Basics is a globally recognised set of criteria that all hotels should implement as a minimum to drive responsible and sustainable Travel & Tourism.

“The initiative is a response to the sector’s need for a baseline for hotels and other tourist lodgings to introduce the exacting sustainability standards,” WTTC President & CEO Julia Simpson said during a press conference at ITB Berlin.

According to WTTC, the Basics emerged as a result of a clear demand from a group of influential global hotel brands and whilst there are a great number of sustainability initiatives, the new scheme focuses on an achievable starting point.

Basics is expected to encourage all accommodation providers to begin their sustainability journeys and meet the fundamental standards required of the tourism sector.

“Our research shows that most business owners are aware of their responsibility to the environment but need a step-by-step guide that is scientifically verifiable,” Simpson said.

World Travel & Tourism Council President & CEO Julia Simpson speaking during the WTTC’s press conference at ITB Berlin. Photo source: ITB Berlin

Made up of 12 key criteria, the Basics is accessible to all hotels to implement. It serves as a stepping-stone to more complex sustainability schemes and achieve greater sustainability across the industry.

Basics has also been recognised by the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance* as the starting point for a net positive industry.

Verification Scheme

In order to ensure the validity of the programme, WTTC partnered with Green Key and SGS to develop a simple online verification system to allow hotels to provide evidence and ensure they are following the Basics.

The verification scheme enables hotels and other tourist accommodation to be officially verified for meeting eight of the 12 criteria in the first year and demonstrate their commitment to working toward all 12 by year three.

Together, the criteria ensure the sector is eco resilient and adaptive to the changing needs of the planet.

The WTTC will be tracking the progress of the Basics through surveys to the accommodation providers that have joined the initiative.

Inaugural partners: major international hotel groups and destinations

Randy Durband, Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC); Julia Simpson, President & CEO, World Travel & Tourism Council; Glenn Mandziuk, CEO, Sustainable Hospitality Alliance; Inge Huijbrechts, Global SVP of Sustainability, Security & Corporate Communications, Radisson Hotel Group; and Florian Sengstschmid, CEO, Azerbaijan Tourism Board. Photo source: ITB Berlin

Six major international hotel groups, collectively representing tens of thousands of sites from around the world have now joined the Basics as inaugural partners.

The first hotel groups include well-known brands such as Accor, Jin Jiang International, Louvre Hotels Group, Meliá Hotels International, Meininger and Radisson Hotel Group.

“It is testament to the need for such a scheme that already thousands of hotel properties from around the world have committed to implement Basics, and from today can begin the verification process,” WTTC’s president said.

The Basics initiative sees WTTC’s collaborations with key leading sector figures including representatives from Greenview, WTTC’s hotel members, Expedia, the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), Sustainable Hospitality Alliance and Trip.com Group, as well as the certification bodies SGS and Green Key.

Moreover, a number of global tourism destinations have also recognised the strength of Hotel Sustainability Basics and demonstrated their commitment to ensure their hotels implement the Basics.

Azerbaijan was the WTTC’s first destination partner to support the Basics, followed by Belize, Colombia and Mauritius.

To read more about the Hotel Sustainability Basics initiative and its 12 actions, click here

* The Sustainable Hospitality Alliance was launched in 2020 and brings together engaged hospitality companies and uses the collective power of the industry to deliver impact locally and on a global scale.