More than 1,300 hotels across 30 countries have been verified in the first year of a World Travel & Tourism Council sustainability scheme.
Hotel Sustainability Basics is an independent global programme overseen by internationally recognised verifiers, Green Key and SGS.
The aim is for hotels around the world, regardless of their size, to follow a 12-step programme to reduce carbon emissions, protect and promote nature, and ensure local communities benefit.
The verification has been endorsed by destinations around the world such as the Caribbean, Mauritius, Colombia, Abu Dhabi, Azerbaijan, Mexico and Ecuador in its first year.
It has also been adopted by major hotel brands such as Jin Jiang, the world’s second biggest hotel group with more than 10,000 hotels, European firm Louvre Hotel Group and Radisson.
Other major brands which have signed up include adventure travel specialist Intrepid, Abercrombie & Kent, British Airways Holidays, HotelBeds and WebBeds.
The global tourism body expects thousands more properties will adopt Hotel Sustainability Basics next year.
A new partnership between WTTC and the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) has cemented a clear pathway in the hospitality sustainability journey.
The collaboration will establish a structured framework from ‘Basics’ towards advanced global standards for hotel sustainability.
WTTC president and chief executive Julia Simpson said: “Basics is a global programme to support hotels to cut 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 Basics is going from strength to strength with whole countries committed to make 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.”