Sustainability Guidelines and Self-Assessment Tool for Small and Medium Accommodations

Overview & Synopsis

Sustainability guidelines and self-assessments have become integral in the tourism sector, particularly for businesses striving to adopt more wholistic sustainable practices. These tools provide a framework to support tourism enterprises to reduce their negative impacts and enhance their sustainability. Sustainability guidelines outline the best practices and measurable actions across key areas, while self-assessment tools enable businesses to evaluate their current practices, set realistic goals, and track their progress over time. By offering clear benchmarks, they help businesses identify gaps, improve their performance, and align with international sustainability standards. This document presents a comprehensive sustainability framework designed to support micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in the tourism accommodation sector across Cabo Verde, the Gambia, and São Tomé and Príncipe. The framework consists of two tools: a set of sustainability guidelines and an accompanying self-assessment. Together, these tools aim to guide tourism businesses toward more sustainable practices, while providing a practical mechanism for assessing current performance and identifying opportunities for improvement. Although tailored to accommodation providers, many of the principles and practices outlined are transferable and can inform sustainability improvements for other types of tourism operators. The structure of the guidelines is organized across four key dimensions of sustainability: environmental, social, economic, and sustainability management.