Hotels drive responsible tourism around the globe

Permanent swing sets on beaches can affect the ecosystem, so opt for something less problematic like this rattan swing, which you can hang on a tree branch. — QUANG NGUYEN VINH/Pexels

Numerous international hotel groups have launched an initiative to set a common definition for the term “hotel sustainability”, as a way to drive responsible tourism around the globe.

This is a cooperation involving the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance and a few leading hotel companies, with consultation from key tourism stakeholders. As the global hotel sector celebrates the gradual return of travel and tourism, this initiative is timely as sustainability is an important factor for many industries today.

The Basic Sustainability framework will deliver on a common starting point for hotel sustainability that’s accessible to all hotel personnel worldwide – whether they are part of a large international group, or independent companies. Providing this common understanding for all hotels worldwide with actions that have a positive impact on the Earth and its people will hopefully drive real change by stimulating the demand for responsible travel.

The Basic Sustainability framework is complementary to the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance’s “Pathway to Net Positive Hospitality”, which aims to enable every hotel to improve their impact, whatever the starting point of their sustainability journey.

This initiative is headed by Minor Hotels and NH Hotel Group; in total over 25,000 hotels are part of the project. Other partner groups include Barceló Hotel Group, Huazhu (including their affiliate Deutsche Hospitality), Accor, Indian Hotels Company Limited, Jin Jiang International (including their affiliates Jin Jiang Hotels, Meliá Hotels International and Louvre Hotels Group), and Radisson Hotel Group.

In the coming months, these groups will work with the WTTC, the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance and key stakeholders on finalising the essential sustainability actions with demonstrable positive impact. They will also collaborate to share tools and best practices with each other, as well as with the wider industry to ensure all hotels start on a pathway towards the targets of the Paris Climate Accords (COP 21).

The Basic Sustainability framework is aligned with several global aspirations such as the UN World Tourism Organisation’s Glasgow Declaration and the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

This initiative is scheduled to launch in March 2022.

“We must all take responsibility for the impact that our industry has (had on the environment) and there is no better way to do it than through uniting forces with other key industry players to achieve this common goal. In the rebirth of hospitality, after the toughest years in our history, we endorse the Basic Sustainability framework with the aim of leading through example and the certainty that the project will be a turning point for the future of all stakeholders,” said Dillip Rajakarier, group chief executive officer of Minor International and the CEO of Minor Hotels, in a statement.

Hopefully, this initiative will also change the way consumers travel or at the very least, think about what kind of impact their travel plans will have on the environment and host communities. Hiking in the forest is great, but creating new trails without the consent of locals living in the area, is bad. Creating selfie spots on a beach for tourists is a nice gesture, but not when you destroy the surroundings to do so.

Adding man-made structures like a bridge or jetty on an island is acceptable as they are essential, but cementing a swing set down in the middle of the crystal clear water is not.

Nature, even at its “ugliest”, is beautiful as is. So everyone must learn to appreciate nature in its most natural form, or risk losing it altogether. – Melody L. Goh

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