GSTC 2019 Global Conference: Tourism sustainability experts discu Continued from page 72 He noted: “There is a time


lag to the model. If a business wants to get certified it can take two to three years, so we need to set targets [and] a reasonable timeline to targets. We need clarity, and targets motivate people.” Alexandra Pastollnigg,


founder of Swiss online travel agency Fair Voyage, insisted: “The solution is to drive consumer demand for sustainable products.” She highlighted the


confusion about sustainability and accused many travel firms including “big platforms” of ‘greenwashing’, arguing: “Companies use the least amount of budget to create a sustainability programme and then put a huge amount of marketing around it.” Pastollnigg told the GSTC:


“Consumers are bombarded with marketing messages. Why not make it easy for travellers to make sustainable choices?” Durband agreed: “There is


a huge problem of confusion. People don’t understand sustainability and we need to simplify it.” But he argued: “When the


GSTC came into existence [in 2007] there were 150 [certification] labels. It took us years to build an approach. We talk to national governments that insist on having their own [certification] schemes. A lot of schemes are struggling to scale. [But] we don’t have an enforcement mechanism. “We need trade associations


to take a lead and help sort this out. We need a major procurement campaign through the largest players to find a solution.”


Tui beats target for 10m ‘greener, fairer holidays’


Tui has met its commitment to deliver 10 million “greener, fairer holidays” a year 12 months ahead of the target the company set in 2015. Group sustainability director Jane


Ashton revealed Tui had passed the milestone at the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) conference last week. Tui defines a ‘greener, fairer


holiday’ as one where the hotel has a sustainability certification recognised by the GSTC. The target was among the goals of Tui’s ‘Better Holidays, Better World’ strategy launched four years ago when the group pledged to provide 10 million greener, fairer holidays by the end of 2020. Ashton said: “We take over


20 million people a year on holiday, so we want to minimise impacts both through our business and through our supply chain. We manage it via public targets – that is the key. We launched ‘Better Holidays, Better World’ aligned very closely with GSTC criteria, with targets to drive down


‘Certification drives eco performance and cuts costs’


Te business case for sustainability certification “is clear”, Tui sustainability director Jane Ashton told the GSTC conference. She said: “Certified hotels are of


demonstrably higher quality and have higher customer satisfaction scores. The certification process drives quality and customer satisfaction. “We have 360 hotels where there


70 12 DECEMBER 2019


is some form of Tui ownership or management or a long-term contractual agreement and we’re able to compare certified hotels with those not. The business case is clear.” Ashton argued: “Energy is the


second-biggest cost after employees’ wages. Waste costs are also tremendous. Certification has saved Tui tens of millions across the supply chain. Everything you can do to drive down costs goes on the bottom line.” She highlighted a comparative


study of 230 certified hotels in 2015 and in 2019 and said: “The certification process drives performance.” The study found a


carbon impacts across all areas.” When Tui made the pledge it


operated to 950 certified hotels, providing 5.6 million holidays a year.


Jane Ashton We made it


a condition of contracting that hotels agree to go through the process of certification


Numbers rose to 6.3 million in 2016, 8.3 million in 2017, 9.2 million last year and hit 10.2 million at the end of the summer 2019 season in October. Ashton said: “In the early years,


it involved cajoling hotels to get certification. [Then] we made it a condition of contracting that hotels agree to go through the process of certification. “It still takes work to persuade


them to go through with it because it involves a huge amount of work. “There are no preferential rates of


contracting, but a lot of support and a lot of contractual obligations.” She added: “[Abta’s] Travelife has been our main accreditation partner.”


A Tui Sensimar hotel


14% reduction in CO2 emissions and a 16% reduction in waste across the hotels over the four years. There was also a 10% drop in use of fresh water and 9% reduction in total water use.”


travelweekly.co.uk


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