In Vienna, UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili held high-level meetings, reaffirming Austria’s important role in advancing sustainable tourism, including through having six of its villages as members of UN Tourism´s Best Tourism Village Programme and the region of Tyrol as one of the latest members of the International Network of Sustainable Tourism Observatories (INSTO).
As we reflect on another year of dedication to sustainable growth and responsible hospitality, I am proud to present our 2023 Sustainability & CSR Report. At Mitsis Group, our commitment to excellence goes hand in hand with our unwavering dedication to sustainability, social responsibility, and ethical governance. This year, we have continued to make significant strides in our efforts to create a positive impact on the environment, empower our communities, and ensure that our guests can travel sustainably.
UN Tourism has announced the UN Tourism National Open Innovation Challenge, in partnership with France. This groundbreaking collaboration marks a significant milestone as it is the first time UN Tourism and the Government of France have joined forces to empower innovation and entrepreneurship in the sector.
RIU Hotels & Resorts continues to move forward with the Proudly Committed strategy after the circular economy plans in place at its hotels in the Balearic Islands have been certified by AENOR. The Riu Playa Park, Riu Concordia, Riu Bravo, Riu Festival and Riu San Francisco in Playa de Palma, as well as the Riu La Mola in Formentera, have received this certification.
A circular economy could boost the hospitality sector by reducing costs and making resources go further while at the same cutting greenhouse gas emissions, a new report finds.
At Accor, sustainability is rooted at the center of our design strategy. In practice, that means that the Design & Technical Services teams channel their talent and creativity into ensuring that the strategy and the concepts they create have a positive impact on the environment and society. Our teams have developed specific construction guidelines for sustainability for each of our brands, while a rigorous selection criteria for design, and construction products and suppliers has been set to guarantee that all our partners ౼ from conception to production ౼ share our commitment to sustainability. With circularity and carbon reduction in mind, we have also begun using an eco-design measurement tool to analyze the environmental performance of our design concepts.
Sustainable consumer behavior in hospitality encompasses actions that help preserve the environment, such as green purchasing, recycling and conserving natural resources. In the tourism context, this includes actions such as buying local products, saving water, reusing towels, conserving energy and reducing food waste. However, these behaviors and their motivations can vary significantly among different consumer groups. This makes it very difficult for hospitality actors to create sustainable offers – as what “sustainable” means varies between tourists and whether they will buy it or pay more for it is another under-researched question.
Guests staying at Premier Inn hotels can rest easy in the knowledge their stay is benefitting local communities following the publication of the company’s 2024 economic benefit and social impact report.
Recently, composters on the roof of the house have been recycling organic waste from breakfast/dinner. The plants in the hostel benefit from the nutrient-rich fertilizer produced in this way. Arben Maliqi: "Our goal is to be the first European hostel chain to be CO2-neutral in 2025. For us, net zero means reducing our own ecological footprint to a minimum and offsetting the rest." a&o is already the only hostel chain in Europe to show the individual CO2 value per booking on all reservations and guest invoices.
The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) partnered with Hotelbeds to bring sector leaders together in Palma, Mallorca, to delve into the ever-evolving dynamics of global Travel & Tourism.
An idyllic summer vacation turned into a nightmare after thousands of people were evacuated from Greek islands beset by wildfires – the latest reminder that Europe’s tourism industry needs to confront the realities of climate change and adapt fast.
Zeal Hotels has signed an Exclusivity Agreement with IHG Hotels & Resorts for the hotel, which will be managed by Valor Hospitality.
The hotel will be both companies’ first lifecycle net zero carbon hotel. Aligned with the UK Green Building Council’s framework definition of net zero carbon buildings, it is set to open next year.
In cooperation with ecomi.io AG, the Primestar Group will start the "YOUR TREE" nature conservation project in May, initially in three hotels. At the Holiday Inn Hamburg Berliner Tor, at the Hampton by Hilton Freiburg and at the Hampton by Hilton Berlin Alexanderplatz Primestar will present every guest with their personal tree. if the guest waives the daily room cleaning during multi-day stays. As a consequences, the hotel saves valuable water and cleaning agents, if guest rooms do not have to be cleaned on a daily basis.
Hilton London Heathrow Airport is showcasing a whole raft of new environmental initiatives to coincide with Earth Day.
Finland is officially the happiest place to live in the world. That’s according to the World Happiness Report, which has seen the Nordic country top the list for a sixth year in a row. The report cited nature and community as two of the biggest reasons that keep Finns smiling.
room2 Southampton has been announced as the winner of the Drax Electric Vehicles competition at the EEA Summit, held yesterday on Tuesday 28 March 2023 at The Westin London City Hotel. Worth £10,000, the prize includes the supply, installation and first three years of free-of-charge software, service and maintenance of an electric vehicle (EV) charging station that will be added to room2 Southampton’s site, adding to its already stellar sustainability credentials.
The new 'Off the Beaten Track' challenge aims to create a networking environment that will enable cultural connections between students, governments and businesses. Teams of students will be tasked with developing projects which showcase how tourism can contribute to rural development, a better understanding of different cultures and foster peace.
Commitment to a policy of corporate social responsibility no longer makes a company special. Especially when the entire world has become aware that we cannot simply act without taking heed of the impact of our actions on the planet and its inhabitants. In terms of CSR, the law that is already imposed on large companies will eventually come to bear on all economic players.
New groundbreaking data from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and the Saudi-based Sustainable Tourism Global Center reveals the climate footprint of the Travel & Tourism sector in Portugal.