3 minute read
JUST AN OPINION
Good business practice
Services for Tourism signed up to the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism at COP26 recently. Director Robin Barker explains why all businesses should take their eco credentials very seriously.
Recent research shows that only 1 in 10 tourism operators have any carbon targets in place. Until recently, many in the sector simply turned a blind eye. Was this because they didn’t care? Is the commercial argument too weak? Or did it all frankly feel a little too overwhelming and someone else’s problem? The reality is that it’s probably a combination of all these things. In parallel with carbon reduction, 2021 has brought another issue to a head - the need to reduce costs. Whether you have 4 or 400 guest rooms, or run a café, surf school or pub, there are some simple but effective ways of doing this. So how do we make progress? To paraphrase conservationist Dr Jane Goodall, it’s essential to view the world and climate change as a jigsaw puzzle: trying to solve the whole picture is overwhelming and even terrifying, but viewing and working on it piece by piece makes it much more manageable. You can’t eat an elephant whole; sustainability needs a bite size approach! From an operator’s perspective, there are two major drivers for business change. The first is the operational argument for cost-savings and viability of the business, and the second is the shifting consumer demand that we are seeing for business responsibility. Statistically speaking, the number of searches for specifically ‘eco’ accommodation remains low, but the appetite for places that have been awarded accreditations such as Quality in Tourism’s REST (Responsible, Ethical and Sustainable Tourism) scheme is growing and many guests now see it as a reason to purchase. For many consumers ethics, responsibility and sustainability are becoming the defining factors. Simply put, if your business doesn’t embrace this, many of your potential customers will go elsewhere. A lot comes down to processes and attitudes, from switching one product with another, removing certain things from the supply chain, changing practices such as waste management and even swapping lightbulbs. They might sound minor, but they will all deliver cost-savings, and even better, help take advantage of the shift in customer demand.
Probably the most important aspect is to monitor the impact of any changes you make so that they are quantifiable and demonstrable. Measurement is an essential part of both establishing the effectiveness of your changes, and also communicating these changes to your teams and customers.
It is for these reasons that we at Services for Tourism have signed up to the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism and have committed ourselves to deliver climate action plans within the next 12 months, reporting publicly on an annual basis, working in a collaborative spirit, sharing good practices, and disseminating information amongst tourism awards entrants and beyond. Do we have all the answers? No, we don’t believe anyone does as yet, but working with tourism awards sponsors including Quality in Tourism, South West Water and Stephens Scown LLP solicitors, as well as leading destinations and practitioners, we are determined to find better solutions for tourism and share them as widely as possible. Information on the Glasgow Declaration can be found at www.oneplanetnetwork. org/programmes/sustainable-tourism/ glasgow-declaration and the parallel Tourism Declares initiative at www.tourismdeclares.com We encourage everyone in tourism and hospitality to join us in signing up for both.
