Continued from page 56
Duty from April 2027 on top of the rise in rates already planned from next April – including a £2 rise to £15 in APD on economy short-haul fares. A rise in the minimum wage
to £12.71 had been expected, as had a rise in the minimum rate for those under 21, but it will still mean higher costs for business. However, the biggest tax rise –
the headline three-year extension of the freeze on the higher rate of income tax threshold – won’t kick in until April 2028. The most notable response,
aside from the widespread criticism and claims chancellor Rachel Reeves had misled everyone, was the low-key reaction of the markets. Fears of a fall in the pound
and rise in the cost of government debt did not materialise. Deloitte UK economist Ian Stewart noted that, from a government borrowing point of view, it was the “best Budget-day performance in 20 years”. That was mainly because
Reeves increased the financial headroom for hitting her spending target from £10 billion to £22 billion. But as Stewart pointed out, that “doesn’t solve Britain’s debt problem”. The Budget pushed addressing
the debt to near the end of this Parliament when the Treasury has pencilled in significant spending cuts. That may prove difficult ahead of an election. One financial commentator
congratulated Reeves on “picking a path through a minefield without detonating anything”. But another warned the UK risks “a loop where each fiscal event becomes harder than the last” and the markets’ verdict “is far from sealed”.
Radisson targets 100 ‘verified net zero’ hotels
Ian Taylor
Radisson Hotel Group this year opened the first two of 100 refurbished ‘verified net zero’, city-centre hotels it plans to operate by 2030 and aims to open another 10 in 2026. The first, the Radisson Hotel
Manchester City Centre, opened in May as a Verified Net Zero property having achieved the 2040 zero-carbon requirements for hotels this year following extensive refurbishment. The 252-room hotel, with a bar,
restaurant, spa and pool, runs on 100% renewable energy, with low- carbon menus, minimal emissions – residual emissions are compensated by nature-based carbon credits – and minimal waste. The hotel does not use gas but utilises heat pumps and 100% renewable energy. A second net zero hotel, the
Radisson RED Oslo City Centre, opened in August. Radisson Hotel Group chief
‘ESG reporting must be part of competitiveness’
Radisson’s Inge Huijbrechts is not concerned that the EU is retreating on sustainability but she conceded: “Everyone in Europe is worried about the EU scaling back its climate ambitions.” She insisted: “I don’t think they
are. Regulations are coming into play which will help and the original Corporate Sustainability Reporting
54 4 DECEMBER 2025
Inge Huijbrechts
The emissions are verified by
auditor TUV Rhineland. Huijbrechts said: “We want to
sustainability and security officer Inge Huijbrechts told Travel Weekly: “We’re moving ahead with the next 10 [net zero] hotels, mostly European city-centre hotels. The programme focuses on existing buildings [because] new hotel building stock tends to be efficient, so I’m not worried about that. “The Scope 1 [direct] and Scope 2
emissions [indirect from purchasing energy] are zero. We measure Scope 3 emissions [by third parties including suppliers] in accordance with methodologies endorsed by the World Hospitality Sustainability Alliance and World Travel & Tourism Council.”
measure the impact on guests and on revenues. We ask in the guest survey if they know it’s a net zero hotel and 80% say ‘yes’. The more guests know about it, the more it drives the business case.” She estimates this drives 15%-20% of bookings, saying: “Awareness is high. Both are city-centre hotels, so they have a B2B clientele which resonates more with this. I’m not sure it would have the same attraction in a leisure context.” The programme distils three
simple messages for guests, focused on 100% renewable energy, low- carbon menus and minimal waste. Huijbrechts added that when
selecting hotels for the net-zero programme: “We analyse the hotel’s technical capability – it has to be efficient already. We look at the market, and we look at the hotel owner. Is it a stable ownership? Are they of the same mind?”
n
enough [to a market], we bring our own practices, but that doesn’t happen all the time.” Huijbrechts added: “Institutional
Directive (CSRD) was overkill. “I’m not worried for our industry.
E
There is a recognition that ESG [environmental, sustainability and governance] reporting needs to be part of a company’s competitiveness.” By comparison, she said:
“The regulations are not there in emerging markets. If we get in early
investors and insurers typically have a long-term horizon [for investment]. They’re well aware of climate change and its impacts.” She warned: “We shouldn’t
forget the community dimension [of sustainability] because we see a backlash against tourism, particularly in summer. There are plenty of places – for example in Asia – where, if we don’t pay attention, it will go in the same direction as in Barcelona, Venice and Santorini.”
travelweekly.co.uk
S
s
t
u
l
E
s
i
C
t
b
I
a
I
a
i
D
i
P
y
A
L
T
I
O
N
PICTURE: Jean-Yves Limet
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60
