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WTTC’s Chris Imbsen (left) says: ‘A few destinations have changed their systems to incorporate the Basics criteria as their national criteria. We’re driving global alignment and that is huge’


W sa ha to cri cri ali


WTTC plans next phase of hotel Basics scheme


Sustainability programme targets step change in the industry. Ian Taylor reports


The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) plans to launch a second phase of its expanding Hotel Sustainability Basics programme next year. The scheme, launched in April


2023, is aimed at all sizes of hotels, with a verification programme supervised by Green Key and certification specialist SGS. More than 5,000 hotels in


80-plus countries had adopted the Sustainability Basics programme by last month. Chris Imbsen, WTTC vice-


64 5 SEPTEMBER 2024


president for research and sustainability, revealed development of a second phase is already underway with the support of the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance (WSHA) and Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC). Imbsen told Travel Weekly: “We’re


launching a second stage of Basics [and] the WSHA is a key partner.” He aims to identify criteria for


this next stage “by the first quarter of next year”, saying: “It has to be industry driven, but I would envisage criteria ‘pools’ because a


hotel in Scotland will have different concerns to a hotel in Egypt.” The existing Basics programme


comprises 12 criteria aimed at reducing carbon emissions, energy and water use, improving waste management and ensuring local communities benefit from a hotel’s operations. Imbsen explained: “The strength


of Basics is that it is underlined by consensus. We consulted over 60 global hotel brands on what the


Continued on page 62 travelweekly.co.uk


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