BUSINESS NEWS UN World Tourism Organisation’s second summit last month. Ian Taylor reports
‘Time running out’ for tourism sector to be sustainable
Travel and tourism requires a transformation as fundamental as that of digital in the past 30 years but does not have the time. That is according to Pepijn
Rijvers, executive vice-president for redefining value at the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. He explained the Swiss-based council works with regulators and
investors “to reward sustainable business performance with a lower cost of capital” and told the summit: “Tourism is extremely valuable but increasingly under pressure. “The internet’s potential value
Pepijn Rijvers
took years to realise. You see similarities with sustainability. Companies say they are doing it, but it’s not integrated into everything they do every day. If it took 30 years to become OK at digital, it’s reasonable to think it could take the same to be good at sustainability, but we don’t have the time.” He argued: “Transformations
pose risk or opportunity. There is growing regulation by governments [and] a mounting number of methods and tools. Leading companies have transition plans and there is investor demand for protecting nature, [but] you need to know how your business will adapt.”
Collaboration will drive environmental progress
Tourism “is not lagging” behind other sectors of the economy on sustainability, European Commission directorate general for environment Jesús Maria Alquézar Sabadie assured the Global Sustainable Destinations Summit in Majorca last month. Sabadie argued: “Tourism is a
sector of sectors. It’s very difficult for a tour operator to say, ‘I’m going to solve all my environmental problems’.” But he insisted: “I don’t think tourism is lagging behind.” “We need to reduce energy
consumption, emissions, water consumption, waste. [But] you can’t do everything at once. The pathway is education, collaboration and for operators and destinations that are not the most advanced to start.” Sergio Guerreiro, Turismo
de Portugal senior director for knowledge management and innovation, noted “the important role of the private sector in driving the environmental agenda”, but said:
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“We need to understand where they are. It’s complex for small companies. We need to create an ecosystem that makes it simpler to transition.” Sustainable Hospitality Alliance
chief executive Glenn Mandziuk said: “We want to send a message that the industry is ready for this. We’re at a tipping point. We have to make a difference. Time is running out and the industry must step up to the plate.” Gines Martinez, chief executive of
Spanish travel agency Jumbo Tours, said: “If we don’t convince the value chain to transform, what we do in big companies won’t be enough, and we don’t have enough time to convince them. We need to involve SMEs in the transformation – share the technologies and knowledge that the big companies have.” He argued: “Regulation is not
enough. In Spain we have 800 new rules on sustainability.” Kees Jan, head of the travel
sustainable programme at
Booking.com, said: “We need to
Sergio Guerreiro
bring together the destinations, the experts and the data, and work on the customer journey – how we create more awareness among customers. “We can now see, through
our data, that certain destinations implemented action on single-use plastics or energy reduction and come up with a targeted approach. Abta chief executive Mark Tanzer
told the summit: “There are huge challenges, but I’ve been encouraged by the level of engagement. We couldn’t have had a summit like this 10 years ago.”
13 APRIL 2023
Hotel refurbs often as harmful as new builds
Refurbishing hotels can be as environmentally damaging as constructing new buildings, according to JoAnna Abrams, chief executive of supply chain sustainability group MindClick. She told the Global
Sustainable Destinations Summit: “Refurbishment is a core part of our industry. [But] 40% of carbon emissions come from the built environment and three to four cycles of refurbishment can be as impactful as a new building.” Abrams reported: “We
developed a solution with Marriott to evaluate the impact [of refurbishment]. What happens in manufacturing, packaging and distributing products and where do they end up?” She argued “local sourcing
is very important” and said: “Destinations are making commitments, but what happens when a hotel owner comes with a budget and a [required] return on investment? Are they taking account of the challenges? Are they choosing the [right] supply chain?” Antoni Riera Font, director
of the Impulsa foundation in the Balearic Islands, called on the sector to “bring the circular economy to the core of businesses”. He noted: “There are circular
initiatives in the Balearics – reducing food waste, reusing products, stretching the lifetime of products. A circular economy goes beyond ecotourism or ‘green tourism’ to sustainable tourism.”
JoAnna Abrams
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