6 minute read
Balancing Our Approach to Sustainability
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, in 2018, one of Thailand’s most famous beaches, Maya Bay, was shut down completely to allow it to regenerate. Years of poor management resulted in most of the natural coral being destroyed and the very beauty that drew people to the area being eradicated. Many local businesses and tour operators went out of business, which could have been avoided with the right management policies in place.
Practicing sustainability in hospitality and tourism comes with many benefits, from attracting more customers and generating long-term savings, to preserving the natural and cultural attractions in a destination and responding responsibly to the climate crisis.
To remain competitive, destinations and businesses need to be authentic in their journey to net zero and net positive and increasingly agile in terms of innovation. Increasing demand from consumers and increasing scrutiny from regulators and shareholders requires businesses to be proactive in mitigating the risk of allegations of misleading statements or “greenwashing” to avoid enforcement action or complaints. Doing the minimum will no longer be enough - businesses will need to make significant changes to be able to achieve the targets expected.
OUR APPROACH
Sustainable Tourism Consultants has been developing policies and strategies in sustainable tourism for the past twenty years. Working with tourism boards and the private sector, we have put in place practical and cost-effective solutions to help businesses on their road to net-zero.
Our proven methodologies and approach to sustainable and regenerative tourism focus on the following four pillars: development, management, marketing, and capacity building. We work with leadership in governments, destinations, and individual businesses to create and adopt sustainable business strategies and development plans, using the UN SDGs as a framework and starting point. We place equal emphasis on the development of products and destinations as well as the daily operations.
We apply a multi-disciplinary approach, working with numerous partners to deliver best-in-class solutions to tackle the wide-ranging challenges that exist today. Stakeholder management is core to our approach, as partnerships and wide participation within communities is key to success.
From a management perspective, we have several digital supports and solutions available to support destination and asset planning, visitor management, energy, water and waste management and resource efficiency. Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Renewable energy, Augmented /Virtual Reality (AR/VR), 3d printing and robotics are just some of the technologies that are enabling us to optimize sustainability strategies.
For a destination or individual business to thrive, investment must be made in equipping local communities and employees with essential skills to enhance service quality, cultural understanding, environmental awareness, and stewardship. As a sector, tourism and travel creates millions of jobs and opportunities for local communities throughout the world. But there is a global shortage of skilled workers today and retention has been a growing issue for the industry over the past decade.
Our capacity building supports are delivered from inception of projects through to operations using our award-winning learning management platform. To date, our training programs have been used for onboarding and ongoing training with stakeholders at each point in the sector’s value chain, covering all visitor touchpoints from airport staff to front of house teams, tour guides to activity providers, targeting staff at all levels from entry level positions to senior management.
Our current work extends globally with ongoing master planning projects in the Middle East and Europe, where we provide strategic consulting services to a wide range of different projects such as destinations as well as adventure, wellness, and luxury resorts. We also provide strategic consultancy services across the full spectrum of tourism assets, such as museums, attractions, and activities.
Ultimately, the end result is not a mere place to visit but rather a commitment to preserving the essence of our planet while providing an unparalleled experience for those who seek a harmonious blend of opulence as well as social and environmental responsibility. In the evolving landscape of travel and hospitality, we hope through such initiatives to inspire a new era of regenerative and sustainable tourism that elevates both the traveler’s experience and the well-being of our planet, our people, and overall prosperity.
