Booking.com Ends Travel Sustainable Program Amid Accusations of Misleading Ratings

Online travel agency Booking.com is discontinuing its Travel Sustainable program and will replace it with a filter option for properties with third-party sustainability certifications. This move comes after pressure from the Dutch competition regulator, the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM), which criticized the program’s scoring system as misleading and potentially distorting the actual sustainability efforts of accommodations.

The ACM pointed out that not all measures listed in the Travel Sustainable program could be considered significant sustainability benefits. For instance, eliminating single-use plastics in hotels is already mandated by European Union regulations.

Edwin van Houten, director of the ACM’s consumer department, emphasized the importance of clear and accurate sustainability claims. “Consumers are increasingly aware of their impact on the climate, including when traveling. Therefore, they must be able to understand and rely on the sustainability claims used when choosing accommodations.”

Booking.com announced on its website that the removal of the Travel Sustainable name and levels aims to highlight the significance of third-party certifications and ensure consistency and clarity. This shift is intended to make it easier for travelers to make informed, sustainable choices.

The Travel Sustainable program was introduced three years ago to educate users on sustainability and its impact. Despite the program’s termination, sustainable practices will still be visible on property pages. Booking.com plans to introduce a new label to acknowledge properties with third-party sustainability certifications and allow users to filter their searches accordingly. Currently, over 16,500 properties have such certifications displayed on the platform.

In its statement, Booking.com said, “Moving forward, the Travel Sustainable name, logo, and levels will no longer be displayed.”