The World Travel & Tourism Council's (WTTC) hotel sustainability verification program, implemented through Hotel Sustainability Basics, is about to conclude its first year with over 1,300 hotels checked in more than 30 countries worldwide.

This program, overseen by internationally recognized verifiers Green Key and SGS, aims for hotels worldwide, regardless of size, to follow a 12-step program to reduce carbon emissions, protect and promote nature, and ensure local communities benefit from the hotel.

It is achievable for all hotels to implement at a minimum and, crucially, serves as a stepping stone to more complex sustainability schemes.

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

These 'Basics' have also been adopted by several major hotel chains globally, such as Jin Jiang, the world's second-largest hotel group with over 10,000 hotels, the European hotel giant Louvre Hotel Group, and Radisson Hotel Group.

Other significant brands that have joined Hotel Sustainability Basics include adventure travel specialist Intrepid, British Airways Holidays, HBX Group, WebBeds, Biosphere, and Abercrombie & Kent.

Together, this underscores a global commitment to sustainable tourism within the hotel industry, and it is expected that thousands of hotels worldwide will adopt Hotel Sustainability Basics next year.

Significantly, the recently announced partnership between WTTC, the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance (SHA), and the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) has solidified a clear pathway in the journey of hotel sustainability.

This collaboration will establish a structured framework from the Basics towards advanced global standards for hotel sustainability.

Julia Simpson, President and CEO of the WTTC, said, "Hotel Sustainability Basics is a global program to help hotels reduce 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 Hotel Sustainability Basics is going from strength to strength with whole countries committed to making real, lasting change.

"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're expecting thousands more properties to adopt the initiative throughout 2024."

Satu Rouhiainen, Sustainability Manager at British Airways Holidays, said, "Working closely together with our industry and value chain partners is paramount to British Airways Holidays. We are delighted to be supporting Hotel Sustainability Basics, offering our hotel partners a fair and industry-recognized 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."

WTTC is committed to leading the charge in sustainable travel and tourism. Continuously fostering collaborations and setting new sustainability standards, the global tourism body is committed to ensuring a prosperous, inclusive, and sustainable future for the travel and tourism sector.