BERLIN—BeCause, a global leader in sustainability data management for the hospitality and tourism sectors, is partnering with Green Destinations (GD) to transform how destinations, including national tourism organizations (NTOs), measure, track, and showcase their sustainability efforts.
The partnership, announced at ITB Berlin, implements a universal reporting framework for members of the Green Destination-backed Good Travel Alliance, a global initiative promoting responsible tourism. This framework will allow stakeholders to track the key sustainability performance indicators of hotels and tourism companies in their markets—including carbon emissions, water usage, waste management, energy consumption and certification status.
Travel businesses add their data to the framework, creating a centralized database in the BeCause platform accessible to GTA members. A destination management organization, for example, can leverage this information to inform investment decisions, develop incentive programs, identify trends, or launch targeted campaigns encouraging local businesses to pursue specific green certifications.
“The partnership with BeCause is a game-changer. By integrating the data management hub with our reporting framework, we’re providing GTA members with a comprehensive, one-touch overview into the sustainability activities of travel-related businesses—something which was previously not possible,” says Albert Salman, President of Green Destinations.
Standardizing this sustainability data, however, not only improves tracking; it encourages businesses to act by creating a stronger incentive to adopt more sustainable practices.
“The tool creates a level playing field for benchmarking and allows destinations to assess and compare sustainability metrics with confidence. Now, when they inquire about the sustainability impact measurement of tourism activities in their regions, they can trust that the data is accurate, standardized, and truly comparable,” explains Salman.
A Sustainability Hub for Destinations
To simplify participation, BeCause and Green Destinations are providing tourism businesses with free access to the Global Travel Alliance framework.
Businesses that complete the framework will be automatically visible to GTA members via the BeCause platform. Organizations already using BeCause to manage their sustainability data can seamlessly map their existing records to the GTA framework, eliminating the need for manual data entry and significantly improving efficiency.
“We are proud to partner with Green Destinations to launch the Good Travel Alliance universal KPIs. In a world where travelers and businesses are demanding greater accountability for sustainability claims, this step ensures that destinations have the information they need to meet their goals,” says Frederik Rubens Steensgaard, CEO and Co-Founder of BeCause.
As the only platform on the market that connects hotels, online travel agencies, tourism associations and third-party certifiers, BeCause facilitates seamless data-sharing and real-time sustainability reporting. Once data is uploaded to the platform, it’s reflected across the hub’s entire ecosystem, eliminating inconsistencies and reducing outdated information. For instance, if a hotel renews or upgrades its sustainability certification, the updated status is immediately reflected across all bodies that rely on BeCause, ensuring travelers make informed choices that align with their values.
“When you consider that data-gathering for sustainability verifications has often been fragmented, inconsistent, or manually updated, that level of automation, accuracy and transparency is truly invaluable,” says Salman.
An Opportunity to ‘Get in on the Ground Floor’
GTA destination members can now pilot the BeCause reporting and benchmarking tool. Early adopters will receive a 50 percent discount for the program’s first year once it goes live in June. The first pilot destination to have already signed up is the Spanish island of Lanzarote.
To learn more about joining the Green Travel Alliance and accessing the new sustainability tool, visit https://alliance.greendestinations.org.
