The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) chalked up another milestone for its Hotel Sustainability Basics (Basics) program.
The program has now attracted over 5,000 properties in more than 80 countries.
These include hotels in major destinations across Europe, Africa, the Americas and Asia-Pacific.
The hotel sustainability scheme helps hoteliers in their initial steps towards enhanced sustainability.
Basics is an independent verification program, supervised by assessors Green Key and SGS, which audits on rigorous standards.
It empowers hotels of all sizes with a 12-step criteria aimed at reducing carbon emissions, energy, water and waste management, and ensuring local communities benefit from hotel operations.
Leading hotel brands, including Jin Jiang, Louvre Hotels Group, Choice Hotels, Radisson Hotel Group, and Accor have adopted the Basics program.
The Japan Tourism Board has partnered with WTTC through its Japan Sustainable Tourism Initiative (JSTi) to support the launch of Basics across the country.
A pilot program is live before extending the initiative to all Japanese accommodation providers.
In the Philippines, Tajara Hospitality Group and Greenview have partnered with the WTTC to market the launch of Basics through the sustainable hospitality event PhilHost.
Basics is also set to expand across India with support from WTTC members The Indian Hotels Company Limited, Radisson India, WTTC India Initiative, Hotel Association of India, and OTA MakeMyTrip.
Basics is now also available in several languages, offering comprehensive resources in English, French, Spanish, and Japanese.
Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO, stated: “WTTC’s Hotel Sustainability Basics is a powerful testament to our collective effort in promoting sustainable practices in the hospitality industry.”
Hotel Sustainability Basics has also gained endorsements from destinations worldwide, including the Caribbean, Mauritius, Colombia, UAE, Azerbaijan, Mexico, and Ecuador.
