The World Travel & Tourism Council's (WTTC) Hotel Sustainability Basics, the global initiative helping hoteliers on their first steps to improve sustainability ratings, has reached a significant milestone with over 1 700 hotels verified across 70 countries worldwide.

In her speech at ITB Berlin, WTTC President and CEO Julia Simpson celebrated the achievement and highlighted the commitment of the industry towards a more sustainable future. “Basics is a key pillar to making hotels more sustainable and giving the public an at-a-glance verification.”

Hotel groups from major travel and tourism destinations such as France, China, Mexico, India, Germany, South Africa, Philippines, and Norway, amongst many others, have joined the initiative.

Major hotel brands that have now adopted ‘Basics’ include Jin Jiang, one of the world’s biggest hotel groups with more than 10 000 hotels, European hotel giant Louvre Hotels Group, Choice Hotels, and Radisson Hotel Group.

During its inaugural year, Hotel Sustainability Basics also gained endorsements from destinations worldwide, including the Caribbean, Mauritius, Colombia, UAE, Azerbaijan, Mexico, and Ecuador.

Other major travel and tourism brands joining the initiative include adventure travel specialist Intrepid, British Airways Holidays, HBX Group, WebBeds and Abercrombie & Kent.

This independent global sustainability verification programme, overseen by internationally recognised verifiers Green Key and SGS, empowers hotels of all sizes to follow a 12-step programme aimed at reducing carbon emissions, promoting nature conservation, and ensuring local communities benefit from the hotels' operations.

Simpson added: “Our goal is to have a globally recognised trademark that shows customers at a glance, that a hotel is supporting the planet by saving energy, cutting plastics, protecting nature, and supporting their local community. It is a win. We launched the scheme only a year ago and the uptake has been incredible.”