Travalyst unveils list of sustainability certifications compliant with its criteria

• Travalyst shares first sustainability certifications included on its list aimed at industry alignment
• The list of 49 certifications compliant with Travalyst criteria is diverse, including Audubon International, Green Key Global, Fair Trade Tourism and Sustonica
• Travalyst’s initiative aims to support certifications through an evolving legislative landscape whilst providing consistency across travel booking sites

London, 29 August 2024: Travalyst shares the first 49¹ sustainability certifications for accommodation compliant with its criteria. This is the first milestone in its certifications initiative that aims to strengthen credibility and create consistency in which certifications are displayed on travel booking platforms.

Founded in 2019 by Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex, Travalyst is a not-for-profit global coalition of some of the biggest brands in travel and technology aiming to bring sustainability information to the mainstream to help people make more informed travel choices.

Research² carried out by Travalyst’s coalition partner, Booking.com, revealed that 45% of travellers view accommodation that is labelled more sustainable, as more appealing. But travellers want consistency; the research also found that 67% of travellers agree that all travel booking sites should use the same certifications and labels.

By asking certification bodies to meet a set of criteria, Travalyst aims to enable industry alignment behind accommodation sustainability certifications. These criteria are designed to establish an initial threshold that supports the certification industry to meet evolving regulatory requirements. They represent the first step in a broader, ongoing effort to improve the sustainability governance of certifications for the accommodation sector.

Following an independent review of their processes³, the certifications listed are compliant with three initial criteria developed by the Travalyst coalition and validated by its Independent Advisory Group:

1. Third-party audit⁴ that includes on-site and/or remote online assessment of sustainable practices reported by the property.
2. Publicly available standards upon which the certification is based.
3. Focuses on evaluating the impact of social and/or economic, and/or environmental factors, among others, as encompassed within, but not restricted, to the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals⁵.

Sally Davey, CEO of Travalyst says “There are a huge number of certification bodies globally that focus on sustainability within the accommodation sector. We hear time and time again that this can be overwhelming and confusing, not only for people wanting to book a more sustainable stay, but also for accommodation providers and booking platforms. We’re working to make things simpler and easier to navigate.”

Travalyst welcomes continuous applications from certifications as part of an iterative review process.

Davey continues, “This list is the first milestone in a long-term commitment to enhancing the integrity of sustainability information for consumers and the industry at large, and we will continue to work with stakeholders to closely monitor the fast-evolving legislative landscape, and adapt our approach to certifications accordingly.”

Travalyst’s certifications initiative is free and open to all sustainability certifications for accommodation providers globally. The initial list of certifications compliant with the Travalyst criteria is publicly available for Travalyst’s partners, and the wider industry, to use.

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NOTES TO EDITORS

¹ The list of certifications compliant with the Travalyst criteria can be found here. 59 certifications were reviewed, with 49 found to be compliant with the Travalyst criteria.

² Booking.com Sustainable Travel report 2024

³ More information on the application process at travalyst.org

⁴ Third party auditing for the verification of sustainability claims is likely to become a requirement in EU legislation through the forthcoming Green Claims Directive. Our criteria is in alignment with this directive.

⁵ We are asking the certification bodies to show how their criteria are aligned with the SDGs as part of the application, to ensure that they are able to articulate the role of their certification services using a common, internationally understood and accepted language. For this first phase of the initiative, there is no minimum requirement for the number of SDGs a certification must align with.

About Travalyst
Founded in 2019 by Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex, Travalyst is a not-for-profit global coalition of some of the biggest brands in travel and technology: Amadeus, Booking.com, Expedia Group, Google, Mastercard, Sabre, Skyscanner, Travelport, Trip.com Group, Tripadvisor and Visa. The group represents a combined market cap of almost $3tn. Travalyst aims to bring sustainability information to the mainstream to help people make more informed travel choices. Find out more at www.travalyst.org

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