Last year you kindly took part in our first survey about reviewing and updating the Travelife Standard. You can click here to view a summary of the results from that survey. 

We now have a first draft of the proposed updated standard and are seeking feedback from our stakeholders about some of the bigger changes.  You expressed interest in providing additional feedback so we invite you to complete a second survey that starts further down this page. Please read the background information below before you begin.

Important! Please read the information below before you start the survey.

Why are you changing the certification requirements? 

To ensure that the Travelife standard is addressing any new areas of concern since the last standard review took place in 2014 and, because it is expected that another review will not occur before 2027, to find out if there are any other sustainable accommodation issues that stakeholders think are on the horizon that are not already covered in the current standard. Travelife will also ensure that the updated Standard matches the latest GSTC Industry Criteria for Hotels that can be viewed here.

Examples of changes since 2014

The concept of companies and countries having to measure and report on greenhouse gas emissions was just on the horizon in 2014 yet is now becoming mainstream with more legislation expected in this area.

Today there is a lot more awareness of the impact of single-use plastics than there was in 2014. Consumers are particularly educated about the subject, often taking to social media to complain if they are offered things like straws.

How do you decide what changes to make?

We have only made changes if at least one of the following situations apply:

1. The changes will improve the overall sustainability performance of Travelife accommodation providers because the accommodation sector has a significant impact that properties can control. However, we do not wish to add a level of burden that would exclude properties simply because of their size, budget or location, and who would have otherwise achieved Travelife Certification under our current requirements.
2. The changes address important and relevant sustainability issues, legislative changes or technological advances that have emerged since the last review but, as per above, will not exclude properties simply because of their size, budget or location, who would have otherwise achieved Travelife Certification under our current requirements.
3. These changes are required to comply with the GSTC (Global Sustainable Tourism Council) Industry Criteria for Hotels.

When will you start using these new requirements?

Work is underway on an implementation plan and timeline. Implementation will be a long process as it involves updating and creating a large amount of resources for both auditors and customers, including providing training.  We do not expect to be ready until at least the end of 2023, meaning that most properties that audit in 2023 will not need to comply with the new requirements until 2025.

How will you ensure that hotels and auditors understand how to comply with the changes?

There are lots of new tools and resources coming, some of which involve new technology and all of which are designed to make it easier for any hotel, anywhere in the world and with just about any skillset, to comply with all requirements, including the new ones around measuring Greenhouse Gas Emissions. We are not ready to release more information about this until closer to implementation. We are very proud of our current suite of resources and e-learning that hotels can access in the online Member Zone and we hope to vastly improve those whilst adding a lot more, and make it easier for both customers and auditors to quickly find the help they need.

On that note, we intend to have two versions of the new requirements, one for accommodation and one for auditors. The only difference in the auditor version will be the addition of a top-level explanation of the kinds of evidence they should be looking for. This will be added to each requirement, supplemented by an updated version of our comprehensive Auditor’s Technical Guide. The accommodation version will have ‘tip text’ to clarify specific requirements where it is felt this will be useful and there are some examples in the draft. There will also be links to online support tools including guides, templates, examples, e-learning and the soon-to-be launched Evergreen environmental metrics tool.

Finally, the rollout of these new requirements will include a series of multi-lingual webinars that will be recorded and give hotels the opportunity to directly ask questions.

Your personal data

This form will ask for your name, the name of your organisation and your email address. We will store this information securely after this standard review process is complete in order to demonstrate that we sought feedback from a variety of stakeholders during this review process.  Your email address will only be used to contact you about this survey, and only if you consent to this.  Click here to read our privacy notice.

In the survey there are a series of statements about changes and you will be asked if you agree that the change will improve the impact of tourism and if you think that most accommodation providers should be able to comply with the change if they are offered enough time, training and support.

This survey should take about 30-minutes to complete and if you have any questions then please email  info@travelife.org. The deadline for completing the survey is Friday 15th July 2022.