Accor has entered into a strategic partnership with Qualmark to work towards certifying Accor hotels, resorts and apartments across New Zealand as Gold Standard Sustainable Tourism Businesses.
Qualmark’s Sustainable Tourism Business certification criteria is a rigorous process that evaluates standards of sustainability across five key pillars: business systems, environment, people, community and culture, and health and safety.
The criteria was recently the first in New Zealand to gain Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) recognised status, meaning Qualmark members can be confident that achieving Qualmark certification meets global standards of sustainability and that travellers can be assured of a globally recognised accreditation.
Qualmark New Zealand general manager, Steven Dixon, shared: “Compared to 10 years ago, travellers are now three times more likely to choose a business that has been sustainably accredited. Our vision is to see all New Zealand tourism businesses join Qualmark, to make it easier for our manuhiri (visitors) to make sustainable choices.”
Last year, Accor removed single use plastic items in over 80 per cent of hotels, and has plans to look into food waste and sustainability, water usage, eco certification and diversity and inclusion in 2024 and beyond.
Around the world, Accor is fully supporting its 5,500 hotels in obtaining external sustainable certifications. Through a combination of global and local partnerships, Accor will reach the target of 100 per cent of its network eco-certified by 2026.
“We are delighted to partner with Qualmark as a leading voice and authority for sustainability in the New Zealand market. Our hotels are already accredited with Qualmark and we are now taking actions for them to reach gold accreditation – the highest possible standard under the new GSTC aligned standards,” added Adrian Williams, chief operating officer, PM&E, Accor Pacific.
