Booking.com has joined forces with the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) to introduce a series of free online courses aimed at supporting accommodations in their journey towards sustainable operations.
Accessible to both accommodation providers worldwide and the general public, the pilot version of the inaugural course, focused on community engagement, is now live on partner-courses.booking.com/sustainability. Following this trial phase, all four courses will be made available through the Tourism Online Academy (TOA), managed by UNWTO and IE University.
Designed to impart practical knowledge on sustainability for accommodations, each course will delve into different topics: local community engagement, energy usage & greenhouse gases, food management, and water management. The modules offer actionable recommendations that accommodation providers can promptly incorporate into their practices, covering aspects such as calculating energy consumption and reducing emissions, as well as best practices for community engagement.
Led by respected subject-matter experts and academics, the series features technical expertise, industry insights, and a data-driven approach. Accommodation partners from Booking.com are also featured in the modules, sharing practical success stories from their sustainability journeys. Experts and course voices include representatives from ERM (a global sustainability consultancy), Xavier Font from the University of Surrey, and accommodation partners from around the world.
Danielle D’Silva, Head of Sustainability at Booking.com, expressed excitement about expanding the collaboration with UNWTO and delivering the educational series. She stated, “Supporting partners, and the wider industry, to integrate more sustainability practices into their operations is a core component of our mission to make it easier for everyone to experience the world.”
The courses affirm Booking.com’s commitment to ongoing education for its accommodation partners and the broader travel industry’s progression towards sustainability. In a recent European Accommodation Barometer, European hoteliers identified better access to knowledge (27%) and additional training (25%) as key factors to facilitate the adoption of a more sustainable operating model.
Natalia Bayona, UNWTO Executive Director, highlighted the significance of education and skills development for building a more sustainable tourism sector. She said, “UNWTO looks forward to working with Booking.com to enable accommodations everywhere to benefit from the wide range of resources available through the UNWTO Tourism Online Academy.”
The initiative follows Booking.com’s 2021 launch of the Travel Sustainable program, supporting accommodation partners in their sustainability efforts. Over 1.4 million properties have shared sustainability-related data with Booking.com since the program’s inception. The four announced online courses contribute to a broader initiative aimed at raising awareness among accommodations about the benefits of adopting sustainable practices for their business, guests, environment, and local community.
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