WTTC's 'Hotel Sustainability Basics' to Transition to Third-Party Certification System, Aiming for Phased Integration with GSTC Framework

On June 25, 2026, the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) announced that its hotel sustainability program, 'Hotel Sustainability Basics,' will transition to an independent third-party certification system. This new certification system is designed with the aim of gradually evolving towards the Global Sustainable Tourism Council's (GSTC) certification framework.

This transition is also in response to new EU regulatory trends seeking to enhance the credibility of environmental claims and assertions, and it will serve to strengthen the foundation for hotels to demonstrate their sustainability efforts in a manner that is internationally trusted. Furthermore, by receiving objective evaluation and certification from a third party regarding their sustainability initiatives, hotels will be able to present their efforts more credibly to travelers, corporations, and investors.

What is 'Hotel Sustainability Basics'?

'Hotel Sustainability Basics' is a program developed by WTTC in collaboration with the hotel industry in 2022, outlining 12 basic actions that hotels should undertake, including energy and water resource management, waste reduction, addressing greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to local communities, and nature conservation.

Due to its ease of adoption regardless of hotel size or brand, it is currently adopted by over 8,000 hotels in 85 countries worldwide, serving as one of the common foundations for practicing hotel sustainability.

This announcement signifies that the program will be the first step towards the GSTC certification framework, leading to a broader global sharing of common concepts and evaluation methods for hotel sustainability.

Comments

Gloria Guevara, CEO of WTTC

'Hotel Sustainability Basics' has demonstrated that sustainability is achievable and can be implemented by all hotels. The transition to a third-party certification system will enable hotels to showcase their efforts in a more credible manner within a globally recognized framework.

Randy Durband, CEO of GSTC

This is an important milestone for the hotel industry. It further strengthens a credible and consistent approach to hotel sustainability. The development of WTTC's 'Hotel Sustainability Basics' into a certification system aligned with the GSTC certification framework demonstrates what can be achieved through the industry's collective efforts towards common goals.

GSTC will continue to contribute to the improvement of sustainability across the entire travel and tourism industry by developing the evaluation framework for hotel sustainability in a common direction, together with industry stakeholders including WTTC.

About the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC)

The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) is an international non-profit organization that develops and manages the international standards for sustainable travel and tourism, known as the 'GSTC Standards.' Established in 2007 with the support of organizations such as the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO, now UN Tourism), it currently has diverse stakeholders from around the world as members, including national governments, tourism boards, hotels, travel agencies, certification bodies, and NGOs.

GSTC is not an organization that directly certifies tourism businesses. Instead, it supports the promotion of sustainable tourism through the accreditation of third-party organizations that provide sustainable tourism certification, the dissemination of international standards, and human resource development and training.

- GSTC Website (Japanese):

https://www.gstc.org/?lang=ja

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