GLOBAL — Booking.com has launched the latest evolution of its partner-focused sustainability programme, prioritising accommodation needs by testing an improved pathway to third-party certification.

Partners will now be able to access tailored insights via their individual Booking.com extranet, which will guide them towards third-party certifications best suited to their property’s profile, needs, and operations. 

During the early testing phase, a subset of third-party certifications will feature, with sustainability software provider BeCause making it easier for both accommodation partners and certification providers to share their data at scale.

In parallel, partners will also receive targeted tips and resources related to actions they could start taking in categories including water, food waste, energy, plastic, and local community. 

The guidance is generated based on their responses to a detailed survey that gathers information about the accommodation’s characteristics, location, and existing sustainability efforts and credentials.

With almost a quarter of partners sharing concerns that third-party certification costs are too high, Booking.com will also provide information on organisations that provide funding, discounts on certifications and reduced fees for ongoing subscriptions. 

In addition, partners will maintain access to educational resources, from a wide variety of materials on the company’s Partner Hub, including a handbook on more sustainable hospitality, to online courses developed in partnership with UN Tourism.

Accommodations that have achieved a third-party certification will continue to have that information displayed on Booking.com, which, coupled with the ability to filter searches accordingly, further helps travellers easily identify corresponding properties.

Booking.com’s approach continues to be developed in consultation with independent experts and organisations such as the Global Sustainable Tourism Council, UN Tourism, and Travalyst. 

Industry-wide collaboration plays a vital role in determining how best to address some of the challenges travellers face in making more sustainable choices and the operational barriers faced by accommodation and beyond.

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