Through this partnership, both organisations will be collaborating to build a more sustainable future for business travel by working across both the business travel community and the hospitality providers and suppliers which accommodate them.
The Sustainable Hospitality Alliance has formed a co-operation agreement with the Global Business Travel Association Foundation (GBTA) to help the global business travel industry create a positive impact and a better future for people and the planet.
Sustainability is an increasingly important factor in the business travel sector – which represented $1.4 trillion USD in pre-pandemic 2019 global travel spending annually1 – and is now a shared concern for business travel buyers and suppliers. GBTA research shows that the business travel sector worldwide views addressing climate change as the number one priority area for action (88%), and are putting tangible steps in place. Three-quarters (76%) of travel buyers report they have already incorporated or are planning to incorporate sustainability objectives in their company’s travel policies.2
Through this partnership, both organisations will be collaborating to build a more sustainable future for business travel by working across both the business travel community and the hospitality providers and suppliers which accommodate them.
One of the challenges reported by business travel buyers is the lack of transparent sustainability data, with 63% of the industry wanting improved access to data. Therefore a key pillar for joint action will be to drive the uptake of a consistent and robust approach to carbon measurement for the accommodation sector through the Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative (HCMI) – a carbon calculation methodology developed by the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance. Already utilised across the hotel industry, the tool is recognised by GBTA as a go-to standard measurement for hotels at any stage in their sustainability journey and is included in GBTA’s revamped Sustainability Toolkit – a guide for corporate travel managers to track and improve the environmental performance of their travel programs.
Glenn Mandziuk, CEO, Sustainable Hospitality Alliance said: “If we are to make net positive hospitality a reality, we need to involve all parts of the hospitality chain from owner to guest. We are therefore delighted to be partnering with the GBTA Foundation. This partnership brings together our reach and expertise within the hospitality sector with GBTA’s impact in the business travel community to ensure travellers can conduct business globally while doing what is right for society and the planet.”
Delphine Millot, SVP Sustainability, Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), said: “Harmonising the way emissions are measured on an industry-wide, global scale is critical to allow corporations to effectively calculate and compare emissions from their hotel stays. HCMI, given its accuracy, availability and transparency, provides the right framework for the hospitality sector. GBTA looks forward to collaborating with the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance to ensure a wider use and uptake of HCMI as a go-to standard for hotels’ carbon measurement.”
[1] GBTA, Business Travel Index Outlook, 2022
[2] GBTA, The State of Sustainability in the Global Business Travel Sector, 2022
Tatiana is the news coordinator for TravelDailyNews Media Network (traveldailynews.gr, traveldailynews.com and traveldailynews.asia). Her role includes monitoring the hundreds of news sources of TravelDailyNews Media Network and skimming the most important according to our strategy.
She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication & Mass Media from Panteion University of Political & Social Studies of Athens and she has been editor and editor-in-chief in various economic magazines and newspapers.
