Accor and Expedia Group join forces to expand UNESCO sustainability pledge into 96 countries

Expedia Group, the global travel platform and Accor, a world leading hospitality group, in conjunction with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), are joining forces to further extend the UNESCO Sustainable Tourism Pledge (hereinafter also "The Pledge"). This strategic tripartite agreement will see 3,358 global Accor hotels join together to promote environmental sustainability and sustainable tourism worldwide.

The UNESCO Sustainable Tourism Pledge promotes responsible practices, community resilience and heritage conservation, with the ultimate goal of changing the nature and impact of global tourism. Under The Pledge, parties commit to supporting the reduction and elimination of single-use plastics and promoting local economy and culture.
The Pledge launched in October 2019 with the Tourism Authority of Thailand, UNESCO and Expedia Group. Accor's hotels join over 500 hotels in Thailand that have signed The Pledge since the Thai microsite was established in 2020.

The expansion of The Pledge comes at a time when travellers' awareness of and demand for tourism sustainability practices continues to grow, with Millennials and GenZ taking the lead with heightened environmental consciousness. Importantly, these young travellers (up to age 40) share heightened concerns over the environmental impact caused by travel when choosing a future trip, which might be attributed to the aftermath caused by COVID-191. With Accor joining this Expedia Group and UNESCO initiative, The Pledge extends to almost 100 countries promoting sustainable tourism globally.

Markus Keller, SVP Sales & Distribution from Accor said, "We have a responsibility to offer sustainable and tangible solutions to our guests to reduce the impact the hospitality sector has on the environment. Accor and all of the hotels in its network have long-standing commitments in this area, for our decision to remove all single-use plastic items from guest experience in our hotels by 2022. We want to accelerate our efforts, which is why we are today joining the UNESCO Sustainable Tourism Pledge in partnership with Expedia Group."

"Our ambition is to continue to drive the change towards positive hospitality wherever we are. Joining The Pledge with 3,358 of our hotels is a continuation of our group's sustainable development program "Planet 21 - Acting Here" which sets concrete and quantitative objectives relating to local sourcing, diversity and water, energy and waste management. Planet 21 was launched in 2011 and is based around four strategic priorities: work with our employees, involve our guests, innovate with our partners and work with local communities; two key issues are tackling food and building sustainability. We look forward to working with our partners on this new Pledge."

Hotels can be examples of outstanding green practices and forces for positive change in the community. All it takes is to start with a few simple commitments.

"The UNESCO Sustainable Tourism Pledge aims to turn words into action and is a testimony of our growing commitment to collaborating closely with the hospitality sector in order to enhance environmental and sustainable tourism consciousness and practices across the world. Everyone needs to play their part in promoting sustainable tourism and helping preserve travel destinations. This partnership with Accor is about taking needed steps at a global scale to minimize waste in the tourism sector," said Zuhairah Washington, Senior Vice President, Strategic Accounts, Expedia Group

UNESCO also announces today that the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development has provided 2 million euros in support for UNESCO to help expand the Pledge across seven countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, Georgia, Indonesia, Kenya, Namibia and Vietnam). The programme will help UNESCO's work to make tourism emerge stronger from the COVID-19 crisis and encourage sustainable development in the sector.

UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay commented, "The collective effort is all the more crucial as the pandemic has hit the tourism and culture sectors hard. We hope that the efforts of Germany, Accor and Expedia, will encourage other major players in the sector to join us and invest to offer more responsible tourism."

<a href="https://youtu.be/MMokrB7MDA4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://youtu.be/MMokrB7MDA4</a> <p><em>[1] Wakefield Research conducted two studies among 30,000 travellers in 13 countries around the globe in the course of 2020. The first was completed in early March 2020 just prior to global travel restrictions going into place to combat the outbreak of COVID-19. It surveyed 26,000 nationally representative adults (18+) with 2,000 respondents from 13 countries: Australia, Japan, South Korea, France, Germany, Spain, South Africa, UAE, United Kingdom, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, and the United States. The second study was conducted in May of 2020 and expanded upon the initial finding in light of the pandemic. 8,000 travellers were surveyed —1,000 each from Australia, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States.</em></p> <h3>About UNESCO</h3> <p>UNESCO's mission is to contribute to the building of a culture of peace, the eradication of poverty, sustainable development and intercultural dialogue through education, the sciences, culture, communication and information. UNESCO works to create the conditions for dialogue among civilizations, cultures and peoples, based upon respect for commonly shared values. It is through this dialogue that the world can achieve global visions of sustainable development encompassing observance of human rights, mutual respect and the alleviation of poverty, all of which are at the heart of UNESCO's mission and activities.</p> <h3>About Expedia Group</h3> <p>Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE) companies power travel for everyone, everywhere through our global platform. Driven by the core belief that travel is a force for good, we help people experience the world in new ways and build lasting connections. We provide industry-leading technology solutions to fuel partner growth and success, while facilitating memorable experiences for travelers. The Expedia Group family of brands includes: Expedia®, Hotels.com®, Expedia® Partner Solutions, Vrbo®, Egencia®, trivago®, Orbitz®, Travelocity®, Hotwire®, Wotif®, ebookers®, CheapTickets®, Expedia Group™ Media Solutions, Expedia Local Expert®, CarRentals.com™, and Expedia Cruises™.</p> <p>© 2021 Expedia, Inc., an Expedia Group company. All rights reserved. Trademarks and logos are the property of their respective owners. CST: 2029030-50</p> <abouttext></abouttext>

About Accor, a world-leading hospitality group

Accor is a world leading hospitality group offering experiences across more than 110 countries, over 5,700 properties, 10,000 food & beverage venues, wellness facilities or flexible workspaces. The Group has one of the industry's most diverse hospitality ecosystems, encompassing more than 45 hotel brands from luxury to economy, as well as Lifestyle with Ennismore. Accor is focused on driving positive action through business ethics, responsible tourism, environmental sustainability, community engagement, diversity, and inclusivity. Founded in 1967, Accor SA is headquartered in France and publicly listed on the Euronext Paris Stock Exchange (ISIN code: FR0000120404) and on the OTC Market (Ticker: ACCYY) in the United States. For more information, please visit group.accor.com or follow us on X, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and TikTok.

Line Crieloue
Senior PR Manager Accor Luxury Brands
+33 1 45 38 18 11
Accor

Accor and Expedia Group join forces to expand UNESCO sustainability pledge into 96 countries

3,358 hotels join the drive to champion sustainable practices as environmental consciousness amongst travellers increases

About Accor, a world-leading hospitality group

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