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.
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 Italy.
The World Travel and Tourism Council ( WTTC ) has released new information on the climate footprint of the Travel and Tourism sector in Spain.
The Social Hub today announces that the Municipality of Eindhoven has granted approval for a ‘PowerNEST’ wind and solar solution to be built on the roof of The Social Hub Eindhoven. The 630m2 structure is expected to provide 17% of energy needed for the hotel, student accommodation and co-working space. The first conversations between The Social Hub, IBIS Power and the municipality of Eindhoven began in 2021. The City of Eindhoven has now approved a PowerNEST by Ibis Power to upgrade the building to renewable energy.
Meliá Hotels International is considered one of the leading companies in terms of sustainability in the MERCO ESG Responsibility ranking, in which it is both one of the top 100 most responsible Spanish companies and leader in the ranking for companies in Hospitality and Tourism.
Employing individuals experiencing houselessness results in positive outcomes in the hospitality industry, such as positive attitudes about hotels and positive word of mouth, according to research from the University of Surrey.
In the second episode of the ‘Our Planet, Our Commitment’ series, we dive deeper into the initiatives that are making our commitment to sustainability a reality, with Grégor Onipenko, General Manager of Novotel & ibis budget Marseille Est Porte d’Aubagne.
Whittlebury Park Hotel and Spa Resort will make up to 2,000 meals for those in need across Northamptonshire this Christmas. The four-star countryside hotel is working in partnership with Carlsberg Marston Brewing Company Ltd and Food4Heroes CIO to provide delicious Christmas meals to local people including food banks.
The competition for undergraduates, organized with the support of the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), attracted students from leading educational institutions from across Switzerland. In the end, four teams made it to the final, representing the Swiss Hotel Management School, César Ritz Colleges, Schweizerische Hotelfachschule Luzern, and the Zurich University of Applied Sciences. The winning solutions included data analysis, social media campaigns, and initiatives to support rural development in Switzerland.
With 2023 almost upon us, perhaps the tourism industry can finally expect to rebound in the coming months to its happy and healthy state. But the word "perhaps" cannot be overlooked, as nobody can predict the future and we will certainly live future crises. The travel sector cannot experience another collapse and should not rest on the status quo when recovering from downfalls. Therefore, rethinking tourism and building resilience in the coming years is exactly what is needed to prepare and minimize future challenges. In a joint effort to stay ahead with trends, the Swiss tourism and travel sector has chosen to bet on data and technology to undertake its national resilience journey, thanks to a national Innosuisse-funded project: The Flagship Resilient Tourism Project.
Whitbread, which owns leading hospitality brand Premier Inn as well as a range of pub and restaurant brands, has become the latest company to join the global responsible hospitality network, the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance.
Travel firms will need to take the lead on sustainability as consumers are not willing to pay extra for more environmentally friendly holidays, according to sustainability experts.
The Sustainable Hospitality Alliance (the Alliance), the leading network for responsible hospitality, and the UK Green Building Council (UKGBC), which aims to radically improve the sustainability of the built environment, have announced a co-operation agreement.
Today more than ever, the hospitality industry is facing a tough call: How to grow sustainably and thrive amidst volatile times influenced by internal and external factors?
The Merrion Hotel has become the latest donor member to join the Alliance, uniting with 20 world-leading hotel companies including Marriott International, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, IHG Hotels & Resorts, Hyatt Hotels Corporation, BWH Hotel Group and Radisson Hotels Group as the sector works towards Net Positive Hospitality. Having doubled its total number of members in the past year, the Alliance now represents over 45,000 hotels worldwide. Along with the Alliance’s network of donor members, The Merrion will now be part of a collective acceleration towards a more sustainable and regenerative industry, that gives back more than it takes.
Risks affecting the hospitality industry are not only related to inflation, war, and geopolitics. Science has proven that climate-related risks and biodiversity loss are a threat to the fabric of society. The convergence of global systemic risks has a name: 'global polycrisis'[1]. The hospitality industry operates in a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous environment. Thus, it is challenging for hotel owners, operators, and leadership teams to adapt to the constantly changing circumstances.
In times of uncertainty, many businesses focus on their internal operations to survive. However, the climate and biodiversity crisis as well as the 'perfect storm' cannot be tackled in isolation, ignoring neighbours, other stakeholders, and the environment we are part of. “Everything that we achieve collectively at The Long Run is about protecting ecosystems, restoring, and regenerating landscapes, and connecting habitats. This is more important than ever in the current climate — there are increasing pressures on resources and so land use and management is critical to protect wildlife, ecosystems, and communities.” (Michael Dyer, the MD of Borana Conservancy, Kenya).
The more crises we experience the more important it is to be resilient as a business or destination. And the best way to be resilient is to be sustainable ecologically, socially and economically. Ecological sustainability means energy independence and maintenance of the very assets that tourism relies on.
We are in the middle of various interrelated crises that affect tourism, but most people tend to forget that tourism has been intregal in causing these very crises. Tourism is ten percent of greenhouse gas emissions. Oil and gas have been sourced from the worst places, cheap beating responsible.
One of EarthCheck's favourite sayings is you can't manage what you don't measure. Investing in a system that enables understanding of pressure points and consequently overspend, drives performance and value. Data-driven decision-making turns tactical implementations into savings that are good for business and good for the planet.