Palma de Mallorca – IBEROSTAR Hotels & Resorts will once again take part in the annual World Environment Day (WED), the United Nation's biggest campaign aimed at raising awareness for the need to protect the environment. Since its launch in 1974, WED is celebrated on June 5th in over 100 countries, promoting the protection of our environment internationally.

The slogan for this year's WED – Go Wild for Life - is based on the illegal wildlife trade and specifically species that are in danger of extinction. In recent years, this issue has become one of the greatest environmental threats and the campaign urges people to take action and contribute to protecting wildlife for future generations.

IBEROSTAR is eager to contribute to this initiative by involving all of its hotels in an extensive program of activities designed to raise guests' awareness of the importance of caring for the environment. The initiatives planned by the company include various activities that offer insight into a number of sustainability issues and the company's environmental policy. These actions will address local wildlife protection and what IBEROSTAR is doing to help, such as the company's project which protects tabasco turtle nests at the IBEROSTAR Cancún hotel in Mexico.

The activities that will be taking place at IBEROSTAR hotels in North America include the following:

  • Reforestation actions where younger guests will have the opportunity to plant trees in specially designated areas of the hotel.
  • Guided tours offering children the chance to observe the hotel's plant-life and animals, followed by a drawing competition based on the topic 'wildlife rescue and protection'.
  • Beach cleaning involving employees, partners and guests (IBEROSTAR Praia do Forte in Brazil).

Additionally, IBEROSTAR hotels in the EMEA region (Europe, Middle East and Africa) will also join this initiative with a series of actions:

  • At Miniclubs, children aged between 4 and 12 will learn how to make musical instruments and dress costumes from reused materials. Later they'll show them off at a fashion show. The Maxiclubs (for children aged 13 to 17) will organize environment-inspired field days and teach participants how to make puppets from recycled materials, which they will put on a performance with.
  • Talks on endangered species: Participants will be shown images of various animals and learn which are or are not in danger of disappearing. They will also receive information about animal poaching and the illegal wildlife trade.
  • Educational workshops based on sports games will raise awareness of the importance of recycling. Participants will play with waste items that must be placed in the correct containers, depending on the type of recycling.

This initiative forms part of GRUPO IBEROSTAR's Corporate Social Responsibility program, where the company takes part in actions aimed at encouraging environmental care.

About Iberostar

Iberostar Group is a 100% family-owned Spanish multinational company that boasts over 65 years’ experience in the tourism industry and business origins dating back to 1877. Its main line of business is Iberostar Hotels & Resorts, which includes the portfolio of up to 70 hotels in 15 countries under this agreement, with a global team of more than 25,000 people of 95 nationalities. The Group has become an international benchmark by promoting a responsible tourism business model focused on caring for people and the environment. The Wave of Change movement, a pioneering and innovative initiative from Iberostar, reflects the company’s specific commitment to the environment and oceans, and its efforts to promote these concerns to society as a whole. With sustainability as the driving force and lever behind the business, the company places the circular economy at the centre of its strategy and is working on its own 2030 agenda to be waste-free by 2025, carbon-neutral by 2030, 100% responsible in its seafood supply chain by 2025, and to improve the health of the ecosystems that surround its hotels, among other goals. Iberostar was the first hotel chain to remove single-plastic use amenities in all their hotels worldwide back in 2020. The company is a leader in quality and drives differentiation in the customer experience through constant product innovation and commitment to digitalization.

Iberostar Group is advisor to UNWTO, WTTC and World Economic Bank, and has been recognized at international level supporting and participating as speaker at Harvard University, Stanford University, COP 25-26-27, OECD and FITUR amongst others. The company has received several international awards including Eco Trophea Germany (2022) and WTM Latin America Responsible Tourism Award (2022), and has been recognized by several international media amongst the Best International Resorts in Europe and The Americas.

Caitlin E. Galeotti
Consumer Marketing
Iberostar Hoteles