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.

Sustainability now plays a core role in business operations across the travel and tourism industry, and substantiating these efforts through third-party certifications is increasingly critical. Global travellers are also seeking new levels of clarity and consistency with 45 per cent sharing that coming across an accommodation labelled as more sustainable is increasingly appealing and 67 per cent agreeing that all travel booking sites should use the same sustainable certifications or labels.

However, certifications are not yet widespread across global accommodation supply; 63 per cent of Booking.com partners surveyed shared they would like to know which third-party certifications are available in their region, while 75 per cent would like to know which practises to implement – the new programme sets out to address these questions.

Partners will now be able to access tailored insights that guide them towards third-party certifications best suited to their property’s profile, needs and operations via their individual Booking.com extranet. 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 the actions they could start taking across categories including water, food waste, energy, plastic and local community. The guidance is generated based on their responses to a detailed survey that gathers the accommodation’s characteristics, location and existing sustainability efforts and credentials.

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

Accommodation that have achieved a third-party certification will continue to have that information clearly 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, with industry-wide collaboration playing a vital role in how best to address some of the challenges travellers face in making more sustainable choices and the operational barriers faced by accommodation and beyond.

Danielle D’Silva, director of sustainability at Booking.com, stated: “While many of our partners are already making great strides in their journey, for others it can be challenging knowing where to start or what certification may be best suited to their needs.

“In empowering partners to make more informed decisions and accelerate their progress, our ultimate goal is to help bridge the gap between the number of accommodation with third-party certifications and the breadth of choice available in the market.”