The World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance has announced a multi-year partnership with the World Sustainable Travel & Hospitality Awards (WSTHA), combining its Annual Summit with the Awards ceremony into a single annual November event designed to accelerate sustainability leadership across global travel and hospitality.
A Unified Summit and Awards Model
The World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance will stage its Annual Summit during the day, followed by the World Sustainable Travel & Hospitality Awards ceremony in the evening.
The integrated format will include:
- Industry best-practice case studies
- Expert-led seminars and workshops
- Thought leadership and sustainability frameworks
- Formal recognition of award-winning organisations
By aligning strategic dialogue with industry recognition, the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance aims to create a clear annual focal point for sustainable travel and tourism.
The combined event will take place every November, with a host destination currently being shortlisted from more than four bids.
Strengthening Sustainable Travel Leadership
The partnership positions the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance at the centre of a broader sustainability ecosystem spanning destinations, hotel groups, technology providers and supply chain partners.
The new platform is intended to:
- Accelerate scalable sustainability solutions
- Showcase measurable environmental and social impact
- Encourage cross-sector collaboration
- Benchmark industry leadership
This structured alignment between summit content and awards recognition reflects the growing maturity of sustainability strategy across hospitality and tourism.
Industry Impact: 2025 Award Winners
Recent winners of the World Sustainable Travel & Hospitality Awards demonstrate the breadth of sustainability action now taking place across the sector.
Recognised organisations include:
- Iberostar for ocean-positive hospitality leadership
- Dubrovnik as World’s Leading Sustainable Destination
- Ascott for its global sustainability framework
- Accor for responsible supply chain initiatives
- EcoFry for impact-led kitchen technology
- Ecoventura for low-impact expedition tourism
- Hilton and Winnow for their Green Ramadan partnership addressing food waste
These initiatives have been featured in a dedicated podcast series highlighting innovation, collaboration and measurable outcomes in sustainable travel and hospitality.
Hosting Opportunity for the Next Decade
As part of this expanded partnership, the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance and WSTHA are inviting expressions of interest from destinations and organisations interested in hosting the combined Summit and Awards for the next ten years.
The objective is to establish a long-term global home for what is positioned as the industry’s leading sustainability platform.
Glenn Mandziuk, President and Chief Executive Officer of the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, said the collaboration represents an evolution in how the industry convenes around sustainability priorities.
Justin Cooke, Vice President of the World Sustainable Travel & Hospitality Awards, added that integrating the Summit and Awards strengthens both practical action and global visibility for sustainability leaders.
Further announcements, including confirmation of the November host destination and detailed programme information, are expected in due course.
Why It Matters
Sustainability in travel and hospitality is shifting from voluntary commitments to measurable, accountable performance.
By bringing together strategy, knowledge-sharing and formal recognition in one annual platform, the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance is reinforcing three key industry trends:
- Greater demand for transparent impact measurement
- Increased collaboration across supply chains
- Clearer benchmarking of sustainability leadership
For destinations and brands, participation now carries both reputational and operational significance as sustainability expectations rise among investors, regulators and travellers.
At a Glance
- Organisations: World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance & World Sustainable Travel & Hospitality Awards
- Format: Daytime Summit + Evening Awards
- Frequency: Annual
- Timing: November
- Focus: Sustainable travel and hospitality leadership
- Hosting: Long-term host destination under selection
Also read Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris Wins World’s Leading Sustainable Supply Chain Award
