The tourism industry is an economic sector with a huge environmental impact, but it is also one of the world's fastest growing sectors, with billions of people travelling every year, and where figures are expected to grow by 3.3% annually until 2030, according to the World Tourism Organization (WTO). Tourist accommodation is one of the main actors, which means that its potential impact on the sustainable development of destinations is enormous.
To respond effectively to the challenges in this area, the Spanish Association for Standardization, UNE, has incorporated the standard into the Spanish catalogue of standards UNE-ISO 21401 Tourism and related services. Sustainability management system for accommodation establishments. Requirements. The standard has been drawn up by the ISO/TC 228 WG 13 Sustainable Tourism Working Group, and it has been monitored by the Technical Committee Standardization CTN 182 Hotels and holiday apartments of UNE, the secretariat of which is headed by the Institute for Spanish Tourism Quality (ICTE).
UNE-ISO 21401 is the first international standard for sustainability in tourist accommodation and has been developed by the ISO Standardization Committee (International Organization for Standardization) ISO/TC 228 on tourism and related services, whose department is managed by UNE, the Spanish organization for standardization, together with the Tunisian INNORPI.
This standard establishes the environmental, social and economic requirements for developing a sustainability management system in accommodation establishments in the tourism sector, which includes the best internationally accepted practices.
It addresses employee health and safety, quality and customer satisfaction, water and energy consumption, waste generation and interaction with the local community.
