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INTERVIEW
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CARAGH CURRAN
BALANCING OUR APPROACH TO SUSTAINABILITY
Caragh Curran
CARAGH CURRAN IS THE FOUNDER AND MANAGING DIRECTOR OF SUSTAINABLE TOURISM CONSULTANTS, WHERE SHE ADVISES ORGANISATIONS ON HOW TO DEVELOP STRONG AND SUSTAINABLE BUSINESSES AND SUCCESSFUL TOURISM DESTINATIONS. SHE JOINED US IN MONTENEGRO FOR ECO RESORT NETWORK 2023 AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO WELCOMING HER ONCE MORE IN MAURITIUS NEXT YEAR. HERE SHE EXPLAINS THE WAYS IN WHICH WE CAN SAFEGUARD OUR DESTINATIONS AND BE AUTHENTIC IN OUR JOURNEY TO NET ZERO.
In the ever-evolving landscape of tourism and hospitality, sustainable luxury is no longer just a trend – it’s a paradigm shift. Today, destinations, hospitality and tourism operators are having to adapt their business models and operations to remain competitive and to remain attractive to investors. So, what does this mean for the hospitality industry? In essence, there is a lot of work to do. According to the International Tourism Partnership, the hotel industry will need to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions per room per year by 90% by 2050, if it is to align with the Paris Climate Agreement targets. But the good news is that there are a lot of initiatives that the sector can systematically begin to reduce its carbon footprint. Some of these initiatives have been in place for some time, such as minimizing energy usage and food waste; eliminating plastic and paper; and others are evolving such as the “three-zero-concept” approach in architecture for the construction of new properties, using local materials and skills, prioritizing energy management and lower emissions and introducing
life-cycle management into the building process (Matteo Thun 2020). The focus to date has centered largely on environmental practices, but increasing attention is now being given to social practices to ensure a balanced approach to sustainability. Tourism and Travel has been proven to bring wide ranging benefits to destinations and communities, but only when it is developed and managed sustainably. The sector’s success depends on the ability to safeguard and preserve the natural and cultural attractions that compel international tourists to visit a destination and the sector’s ability to cut its carbon emissions to comply with increasingly regulation and consumer demand. Not doing so has irreparable consequences. For example, in 2000, one of the most significant carved shrines, at the Machu Picchu UNESCO World Heritage Site, was damaged irreparably when a camera platform collapsed on top of it. Similarly,
