WebBeds, a global marketplace for travel trade, has entered a partnership with the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) to provide its hotel partners access to the Hotel Sustainability Basics initiative.

Hotel Sustainability Basics was launched at Internationale Tourismus-Börse Berlin by WTTC.

It offers worldwide tourist accommodation providers, regardless of their scale, a starting point for their sustainability efforts.

It is an industry-backed programme that integrates a universally recognised set of 12 criteria, representing the minimum requirements for all hotels to adopt.

These criteria aim to promote responsible and sustainable travel and tourism.

This partnership allows WebBeds to offer its hotel partners access to the sustainability verification programme.

The programme enables hotels to showcase their environmental qualifications to both the travel industry and travellers.

The hotels taking part in this initiative will be featured on WebBeds' booking platforms.

This allows travel trade clients to make informed recommendations to their customers, taking into account a property's sustainability credentials.

WebBeds CEO Daryl Lee said: “Partnering with a globally recognised and respected organisation such as the WTTC is a key step in our ongoing journey to become a more environmentally responsible business.

“We are making good progress and are committing significant internal and external resources to help us prioritise sustainability initiatives. This programme is an example of how we will also help our partners on their own sustainability journey and to be guided by best practice and globally recognised standards.”

Additionally, through the verification scheme, hotels and other tourist accommodations can be verified for fulfilling eight out of the 12 criteria within the first year.

The hotels have to commit to achieving all 12 criteria by the end of the third year and these criteria further aim to promote environmental resilience and adaptability to the evolving demands of the planet.