UK / Worldwide: Quality International Assessment Services [QIAS] / Quality in Tourism have released a global STR sustainability white paper, which reports the findings from short-term rental industry associations and their initiatives to drive industry best practice for sustainability.
The Global Short-Term Rental Sustainability Research Project, which is now available, has been created to develop a ‘united voice’ and will assist the industry in determining where the associations are at in terms of sustainability best practice and how to move forward.
Associations involved in the project include The Australian Short-Term Rental Accommodation Association [ASTRA], The Association for Short-Term Rental Homeowners [ASTRHO], The Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers [ASSC], The European Holiday Home Association [EHHA], The UK Short-Term Accommodation Association [STAA] and The Vacation Rental Management Association [VRMA].
Each association, which is made up of short-term rental property owners, managers, and hosts working together to advocate for fair and effective regulations and licensing for short-term rentals, will leverage the industry insight collated via the global study carried out at the start of 2023. The feedback will help to establish a robust set of objectives and guidance, to be used as a resource for short-term rental owners for sustainability benchmarking.
The associations launched their first initiative together last year to promote responsible hospitality and continued best practice growth in terms of sustainability across the sector.
Andy Fenner, CEO of the UK Short-Term Accommodation Association [STAA], said: “Guests are already voting with their feet and rewarding those hosts and property managers who understand sustainability and its significance to the future of our planet.
“However, this research clearly shows that, even among those in the short-term rental industry who want to do something about sustainability, the route to doing so isn’t always clear. We support all measures designed to help holiday let operators get ahead of the industry’s shift to net zero and beyond, which is one of the most important challenges the sector faces in this decade and the next,” he added.
Gavin Lendon from Sustainology UK, who collaborated with Quality in Tourism in preparation for the white paper, said: “The need to unify the disparate voices in the sector to enable the key messages to be amplified and to provide a reliable source of advice and information is long overdue for the sector.”
Project facilitator Diane Lloyd, associate director of Quality in Tourism, the project’s sponsor, said: “We were surprised by some of the responses that showcased the education gap between being sustainable and the “how to” or “why” for property owners and managers. As an industry, we have a great network of enthusiastic services providers that are dedicated to get this message across, which is inspiring.
“QIAS have set up a resource point on their website to share information and tools to help support a united voice in STR sustainability learning, guidance, and changes that are going to be required,” she added.
To access the white paper, follow this link.
QIA Services describes itself as the only independent rating body for the service sector internationally, while Quality in Tourism is the ‘gold standard’ accreditation provider according to tourism and hospitality sector organisations.
