Twenty-five Abta Travelife auditors came together from across the globe last week for a four-day training course in central London.
The sessions at Abta’s offices marked the first time that Travelife has gathered all its global team of independently contracted auditors in one place.
The auditors’ role with the accommodation sustainability certification body means that properties are assessed to see if they meet the scheme’s strict set of requirements.
To ensure consistency and high standards across all audits, Travelife auditors undergo regular training as part of a wider audit quality control programme.
This latest training was the first time all the auditors were in one place and focused on updating general auditing skills, along with assessing compliance against each of the requirements that accommodation providers must meet in order to be Travelife Certified.
The Travelife requirements cover sustainability areas including emissions, biodiversity, human rights, fair labour, child safeguarding and animal welfare.
Once a property has met all the requirements and gains Travelife Certification, holidaymakers and travel agents know it has a sustainable travel credential.
There are currently almost 1,000 properties with a Travelife Certification, ranging from small boutique eco-hotels to large all-inclusive properties.
Carolyn Wincer, Travelife managing director, said: “Collectively our global community of auditors have carried out thousands of audits at range of different accommodation types around the world.
“Getting them together last week resulted in inspiring exchanges of experiences, challenges and best practices that everyone benefitted from, and that we can pass onto hotels.
“Travelife Certification demands a high standard from accommodation providers so it’s important auditors have an ongoing training programme to ensure consistency across Travelife accommodation.”