DENMARK: BeCause, which helps the global hospitality, travel, and tourism industries manage their sustainability data, is partnering with the Global Destination Sustainability – Movement (GDS-Movement).
The partnership will mean tourism and event organisations, including Convention and Visitor Bureaus (CVBs), Destination Management Organisations (DMOs) and National Tourism Organisations (NTOs), will have insight into their region’s sustainable accommodations and offerings.
Members of GDS-Movement, an international change agency that acts to catalyze socio-economic and environmental transformation in regions and cities through tourism, can now access a specially designed data overview on the BeCause platform, which will show them a real-time, comprehensive view of the sustainability status of their destination’s hospitality landscape.
They will be able to see which hotels, restaurants, attractions, beaches and experiences have valid sustainability certifications quickly, whereas previously, destinations could only obtain this information by manually matching each certification to the accommodations and hospitality services.
The news comes after the release of the 2024 Global Destination Sustainability Index (GDS-Index) rankings, which highlighting the Top 40 sustainable destinations worldwide.
A key finding from this year’s index was the growing importance of third-party certifications for hotels, venues, and airports, especially with impending EU sustainability regulations.
However, despite the shift toward greater accountability and sustainability reporting, many destinations struggle with the complexities of fully implementing and managing these standards.
The partnership will addresses the demand for sustainable tourism and accountability by streamlining sustainability efforts and “providing a trustworthy foundation for building effective, targeted sustainability strategies.”
Guy Bigwood, CEO of GDS-Movement said: “One of the greatest challenges destinations face today is accessing accurate data about the sustainability practices of their supply chains. Our partnership with BeCause directly addresses this challenge, helping DMOs, CVBs, and NTOs create more regenerative, resilient destinations that benefit both visitors and residents.”
By using the BeCause platform, destinations participating in the GDS-Index will be able to assess their environmental performance more efficiently, complete the index faster, and communicate their sustainability initiatives more effectively to stakeholders, including governments, clients, and visitors.
Frederik Steensgaard, CEO of BeCause said: “Trust is the foundation of sustainability. By automating the verification of sustainability claims with direct communication from certification bodies, we ensure that trust is prioritised across the entire value chain – from consumers to tourism organisations.”
You can read our interview with Frederik Steensgaard here.
Photo by Pedro Lastra on Unsplash