Trip.com Joins GSTC’s Market Access Program

Trip.com now highlights hotels and accommodations certified by a GSTC-Accredited Certification Body

China, 19 November 2024 – Trip.com, one of the world’s leading online travel service providers, has introduced a new feature that highlights sustainable hotels and accommodations certified by a GSTC-Accredited Certification Body. This initiative aims to make it easier for travelers to identify and book sustainable hotels/accommodations, promoting responsible tourism choices. Only hotels and other accommodation facilities that have achieved a GSTC accredited certification will be eligible for inclusion in this feature.

Businesses certified by a GSTC-Accredited Certification Body, meeting all the GSTC Criteria (or a GSTC-Recognized Standard), have the highest level of assurance* and credibility available. With an accredited certification, customers and buyers are assured that the business was certified in a credibly verified procedure in a transparent, impartial, and competent manner.

By showcasing properties with accredited certification, Trip.com not only responds to the growing demand for sustainable travel options, but also provides an added incentive for hotels to pursue sustainability certifications. The partnership between Trip.com and GSTC emphasizes the growing importance of sustainability practices within the travel industry, empowering travelers to easily identify and choose sustainable accommodations. By joining the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), Trip.com Group is committed to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. The partnership with GSTC builds on Trip.com Group's broader commitment to sustainability, which includes lower-emission travel solutions across transportation modes—cars, trains, and flights—and other initiatives aimed at promoting more sustainable travel.

The Trip.com platform will display "Certified Sustainable" labels for hotels that are certified by GSTC-Accredited Certification Bodies for travellers to search, view and choose sustainable options easily.

GSTC’s Market Access Program

The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) Market Access Program is designed to help certified tourism businesses such as hotels and accommodations gain increased visibility and access to markets that value sustainability. Through this program, GSTC facilitates connections between certified entities and key players in the travel and tourism industry, such as Trip.com, Booking.com, Traveloka, and AMEX GBT among others. This initiative ensures that certified hotels/accommodations are valued by partners who prioritize responsible travel, enhancing their competitive edge.

Trip.com at the GSTC2024 Global Conference in Singapore

Edison Chen, Vice President of Trip.com Group will participate in GSTC2024 Global Conference in Singapore in the session “Driving Profitable Sustainability: Business Opportunities in ASEAN’s Sustainable Tourism” where along with other colleagues, will share insights about the intersection of sustainability and profitability in the tourism industry, highlighting emerging business opportunities, market trends, and consumer demand for sustainable tourism experiences in ASEAN. The session will address how private sector leaders can leverage sustainability as a competitive advantage, innovate new revenue streams, and meet the evolving expectations of environmentally and socially conscious travelers.

GSTC2024 Singapore will be held at the Equarius Hotel, certified against GSTC Industry Criteria for Hotels. The hotel is located within Resorts World Sentosa, the first destination in the world certified to both the GSTC Destination Criteria and GSTC Industry Criteria for Hotels in 2021. Additionally, both Sentosa and Singapore are also certified as sustainable destinations, further enhancing the credentials of the event’s setting. More information about #GSTC2024Singapore can be found here.

Trip.com Group’s 2024 Sustainable Travel Consumer Report Insights

Trip.com Group recently launched its Sustainable Travel Consumer Report Insights where it revealed significant findings about consumer attitudes towards sustainable travel. The report highlights an “action-awareness” gap, where an overwhelming 92% of travelers may consider sustainable travel, yet only 56.9% say they have actually practiced it. Read more about Trip.com Group’s recent report here.

About Trip.com

Trip.com is an international one-stop travel service provider, available in 24 languages across 39 countries and regions in 35 local currencies.

Trip.com has an extensive hotel and flight network consisting of more than 1.7 million hotels and flights from over 600 airlines covering 3,400 airports in 220 countries and regions around the globe.

Trip.com's world-class 24/7 multilingual customer support, as well as additional centers in Edinburgh, Tokyo, and Seoul, help to "create the best travel experience" for its millions of customers worldwide. To book your next trip, visit Trip.com.

About GSTC

The Global Sustainable Tourism Council® (GSTC®) establishes and manages global sustainable standards, known as the GSTC Criteria. There are three sets: Destination Criteria for public policy-makers and destination managers, Industry Criteria for Hotels and Tour Operators, and MICE Criteria for Venues, Event Organizers, and Events & Exhibitions. These are the guiding principles and minimum requirements that any tourism business or destination should aspire to reach in order to protect and sustain the world’s natural and cultural resources while ensuring tourism meets its potential as a tool for conservation and poverty alleviation.

The GSTC Criteria form the foundation for GSTC’s assurance role for Certification Bodies that certify hotels/accommodations, tour operators, and destinations as having sustainable policies and practices in place. GSTC does not directly certify any products or services, but provides accreditation to those that do.

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, NGOs, individuals and communities – all striving to achieve best practices in sustainable tourism. The GSTC is an ISEAL Community Member, a global membership organization for ambitious, collaborative, and transparent sustainability systems.

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

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