Travalyst, the coalition of leading travel technology platforms, has launched a list of 49 sustainable accommodation certification schemes which it says comply with its criteria.
The Travalyst initiative, which aims to provide greater consistency across travel booking sites, is backed by coalition members Amadeus, Booking.com, Expedia, Google, Mastercard, Sabre, Skyscanner, Travelport, Trip.com, Tripadvisor and Visa.
The list of compliant accommodation certification schemes includes Green Globe, Green Key Global, the Green Leaf Foundation, Fair Trade Tourism, the EU Ecolabel, Earthcheck, Abta’s Travelife for Accommodation, and the World Travel & Tourism Council’s (WTTC’s) Hotel Sustainability Basics.
Travalyst said the list is aimed at “strengthening credibility and creating consistency in sustainability certifications across travel booking platforms”.
Sally Davey, Travalyst chief executive, noted: “There are a huge number of certification bodies globally that focus on sustainability within the accommodation sector.
“We hear time and time again that this can be overwhelming and confusing, not only for people wanting to book a more sustainable stay, but also for accommodation providers and booking platforms.
“We’re working to make things simpler and easier to navigate.”
Davey explained: “This is the first milestone in a long-term commitment to enhancing the integrity of sustainability information for consumers and the industry at large.”
Travalyst describes the listed certification schemes as compliant with three initial criteria it has developed, which have been validated by its Independent Advisory Group.
The three criteria comprise:
A third-party audit, including an on-site and/or remote online assessment of sustainable practices reported by the property.
The publicly available standards upon which the certification is based.
A focus on evaluating the impact of social and/or economic and/or environmental factors.
The advisory group is chaired by sustainable tourism consultant Dr Anna Spenceley, and comprises sustainability advisor Sarah Holloway; Griffith University professor of sustainable tourism Dr Susanne Becken; University of Queensland professor of tourism Sara Dolnicar; Good Hotel Group founder and chief executive Marten Dresen; University of Surrey professor of sustainability marketing Dr Xavier Font; Breda University of Applied Sciences professor of sustainable transport and tourism Paul Peeters; and Tourism Declares a Climate Emergency co-founder Jeremy Smith.
Travalyst’s certifications initiative is free to access and open to all sustainability certification schemes for accommodation.
The Travalyst coalition was set up by Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, in 2019.