Certification FAQ

Green Tourism Certified gives you credible, independently verified evidence of your sustainability credentials.

Certification can help you build trust with guests, clients and stakeholders, strengthen your sustainability reporting, demonstrate your commitment in tenders and corporate procurement, and meet growing expectations around responsible business.

It also provides a recognised way to demonstrate that your sustainability claims are backed by evidence and have been assessed by an independent third party.

Green Tourism Certified has been developed specifically for the tourism and hospitality industry, drawing on 30 years of Green Tourism’s experience working with businesses across the sector.

The certification combines robust ESG-aligned criteria with practical support from a dedicated Green Tourism Advisor and an independent third-party audit. You’re supported throughout the process rather than simply being given a checklist to complete on your own.

Yes we meet all 4 of the requirements for the ECGT as follows:

• It is open under transparent, fair, and non-discriminatory terms to all accommodation providers willing and able to comply with our requirements
• Our requirements are developed by the scheme owner in consultation with relevant experts and stakeholders
• We have procedures for dealing with non-compliance with our requirements and we provide for the withdrawal or suspension of the use of GTC by the accommodation provider in case of non-compliance with our requirements; and
• The monitoring of the accommodation provider’s compliance with our requirements is subject to an objective procedure and is carried out by a third party whose competence and independence from both the scheme owner and the accommodation provider are based on international, European Union or national standards and procedures.

Yes, Green Tourism is acknowledged and included on Travalyst’s list of compliant certification schemes and therefore meets the requirements for sustainability initiatives and filters operated by participating online travel agencies, subject to the individual OTA’s requirements.

Travalyst is a not-for-profit initiative working with organisations across the travel industry to improve the consistency and credibility of sustainability information.

Travalyst provides:

• A public, transparent list of schemes that declare compliance with the ECGT criteria,
• An open, accessible reference point for the industry,
• A supportive pathway for schemes preparing for regulatory compliance.

The criteria have been developed by a team of international sustainability experts, drawing on Green Tourism’s 30 years of experience working with tourism and hospitality businesses.

The criteria are aligned with ESG principles and designed specifically around the sustainability challenges and opportunities faced by the tourism industry.

The standard certification journey takes 12 weeks.

This includes 10 weeks to work through the certification modules with your Green Tourism Advisor, followed by submission for independent audit. If you require additional support or need more time to complete the requirements, your journey may take longer.

Your journey follows four straightforward stages:

1. Become a Green Tourism member
2. Complete 10 sustainability modules over 10 weeks, working closely with your Green Tourism Advisor and uploading evidence of your sustainability credentials
3. Submit your completed evidence for independent audit
4. Successfully complete the audit and achieve Green Tourism Certified status

Your Green Tourism Advisor will support you throughout your certification journey, helping you understand the criteria, identify the evidence you need and work through the modules. Three hours of advisor support is included as standard, with one hour allocated to each ESG pillar. Additional support can be purchased if required.

Once you’ve completed all 10 modules and uploaded your evidence, your assessment is submitted for audit.

The audit is carried out by auditors working for Green Business UK Ltd a company that is independent from the Scheme Owner.

The auditor only receives access to your evidence once your submission has been completed and formally submitted for audit. This ensures that the evidence submitted cannot be influenced during the audit process and that your advisor cannot influence the audit decision.

Keeping the advisory and auditing roles separate ensures that your certification is assessed objectively and impartially.
Your Green Tourism Advisor supports you throughout the certification journey, while the independent auditor assesses your completed evidence and makes the audit decision.

No. Your auditor does not have access to your evidence while you are completing the modules.

Once all your evidence has been uploaded and your assessment is formally submitted for audit, access is transferred to the auditor for assessment.

Once you successfully complete your independent audit, you’ll achieve Green Tourism Certified status.

You’ll receive your certification, which you can use to demonstrate your sustainability credentials to guests, clients, partners, corporate bookers and other stakeholders.

Green Tourism Certified status is subject to independent audit every three years.

No. Your audit fee is included in your annual membership fee.

Yes. Once you successfully complete your independent audit, you’ll receive a digital Green Tourism Certified certificate that you can display and use to communicate your sustainability credentials.

Yes. Once your audit has been successfully completed and your Green Tourism Certified status has been confirmed, you can use your certification credentials across your website and other marketing channels.

Yes. We provide a dedicated marketing guide, along with approved assets, to help certified businesses communicate their Green Tourism Certified status accurately and effectively across their website, social media and other channels.