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The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) has launched a new, dedicated accreditation service for certification bodies. This service is designed for bodies seeking to certify tourism businesses or destinations against sustainable tourism standards that are highly specialized, serve as a stepping stone toward comprehensive sustainability, or offer complementary criteria that do not duplicate existing GSTC Standards.

As part of this initiative, the GSTC is now offering accreditation for Certification Bodies certifying hotels against the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) Hotel Sustainability Basics and Basics Plus schemes. 

The new service applies the GSTC Accreditation framework to these WTTC schemes and supports their transition toward independent third-party certification. Under the program, Certification Bodies can apply to GSTC for accreditation specifically to conduct certification against the WTTC Hotel Sustainability Basics and Basics Plus standards.

The GSTC accreditation service provides an independent framework designed to support competence, impartiality, consistency, and transparency in the certification process for the WTTC certification schemes.

WTTC Hotel Sustainability Basics, known as ‘the Basics’, was created by the industry, for the industry as a practical starting point for hotels seeking to begin or structure their sustainability practices.

The Basics establishes a minimum set of sustainability practices for the hotel sector. It consists of 12 actions covering areas including energy and water efficiency, waste reduction, emissions, support for local communities, and environmental sustainability.

Since its launch in 2022, the program has been adopted by more than 8,000 hotels across 85 countries, providing a common foundation for sustainability action across different types and sizes of accommodation businesses.

In June 2026, WTTC announced that Hotel Sustainability Basics would transition from verification to an independent certification scheme designed to meet the GSTC Accreditation framework. The transition responds to evolving regulatory and market expectations and aims to strengthen the credibility and transparency of sustainability claims within the hotel sector.

The transition is also relevant in the context of the European Union Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive, Directive (EU) 2024/825, known as EmpCo. The regulatory environment is placing increased attention on how environmental and sustainability claims are substantiated and communicated.

While the Basics establishes minimum sustainability practices for hotels, Basics Plus introduces additional criteria intended to support continuous improvement and more advanced sustainability practices.

Together, the two schemes provide hotels with a progressive approach. A hotel can begin by establishing essential sustainability practices through the Basics and subsequently progress to Basics Plus as its sustainability management and performance develop, thereby achieving its GSTC Certification as a natural sustainability pathway progression. 

Both the WTTC Basics and Basics Plus schemes can act as structured stepping stones toward achieving full GSTC Hotel Certification. Together, Hotel Sustainability Basics and Basics Plus form the foundation of the WSHA’s Pathway to Net Positive Hospitality, offering hotels a clear roadmap from essential sustainability practices to independently verified performance.

Since the validity of Basics and Basics Plus certifications is capped at a maximum of three years each, they provide a clear progression rather than a permanent destination. Hotels that want to maintain continuous, externally verified sustainability credentials can seamlessly transition to GSTC Hotel Certification as their next step.

Accreditation and certification perform different but complementary functions within an assurance system. Accreditation evaluates whether a Certification Body has the competence, impartiality, processes, and systems required to conduct certification in a credible and consistent manner. Certification, in turn, assesses whether a hotel or accommodation meets the requirements of the applicable sustainability scheme.

This distinction is increasingly important as regulators, businesses, travelers, and other stakeholders seek greater clarity regarding sustainability claims. In the context of requirements such as EmpCo, credible accreditation and independent certification can help provide assurance that sustainability claims are supported by defined criteria, verified performance, and appropriate assessment processes. Find more information here about how GSTC Certification supports compliance with the EU EmpCo Directive.

“By accrediting Certification Bodies to certify against the WTTC Hotel Sustainability Basics and Basics Plus schemes, the GSTC is fostering a more structured and reliable assurance framework for the hospitality sector. We believe this will elevate the consistency, credibility, and transparency of sustainability claims. It establishes a clear, practical pathway that complements the broader GSTC framework, helping hotels steadily progress on their sustainability journey,” said Dr. Mihee Kang, GSTC Assurance Officer.

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) is the global body representing the private sector of Travel & Tourism and the leading authority on the sector’s economic and social contribution worldwide. Its members include Chairmen, Presidents and CEOs of the world’s leading travel and tourism companies across hotels, airlines, airports, cruise lines, tour operators, technology platforms and destinations, spanning every major region globally.

WTTC works to advance sustainable growth across the Travel & Tourism sector by driving collaboration between industry leaders and governments, shaping global policy, and providing authoritative research on the sector’s economic impact worldwide.

GSTC is an independent and neutral USA-registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization that represents a diverse and global membership, including national and provincial governments, leading travel companies, hotels, tour operators, MICE, attractions, and F&B, NGOs, individuals, and communities – all striving to achieve best practices in sustainable tourism.

GSTC is also the dedicated accreditation body providing specialized accreditation services to sustainable tourism certification schemes. Operating as an independent unit, the GSTC Accreditation Division offers formal accreditation to these schemes in strict compliance with ISO/IEC 17065 (Conformity assessment — Requirements for bodies certifying products, processes, and services) and sustainable tourism-specific requirements. The GSTC is an ISEAL Community Member, as well as a Stakeholder Member of the Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated and an Associate Member of the Inter-American Accreditation Cooperation (IAAC). 

Information for media and the press: www.gstc.org/about/for-the-press/