Singapore’s leading industry school for hospitality and tourism education, SHATEC held its fifth annual Hospitality Conference last Friday. Pictured left to right: Mr Lim Boon Kwee, CEO of SHATEC; panel moderator Ms Karen Yue, Group Editor of TTG Asia Media; Ms Jeanne Ng, Director of SHATEC Board & Director of The Fullerton Hotels and Resorts; Dr Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment; Ms Dawn Teo, Director of SHATEC Board & Senior Vice President of Amara Hotels and Resorts; Ms Margaret Heng, Director of SHATEC Board & Executive Director of Singapore Hotel Association; and Mr Choe Peng Sum, Chief Executive Officer of Pan Pacific Hotels Group. — Photo by SHATEC

Singapore – In support of the Hotel Sustainability Roadmap jointly launched by Singapore Hotel Association (SHA) and Singapore Tourism Board (STB) last March, SHATEC, the local training arm of SHA presented its annual Hospitality Conference (SHC) at PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay, Singapore on 24th March 2023 last Friday.

Themed “Sustainability: Fight or Flight”, SHATEC brought together some of the leading minds in sustainability development for the hospitality and tourism industries, delving deeply into the topics of sustainability and resource management, as well as circular economy approaches for over 100 hoteliers, industry stakeholders and professionals in attendance.

Sustainability is no longer a buzzword in the hospitality scene, but today, it is becoming a core value driving the industry. Singapore has recently been certified as a sustainable destination based on the Global Sustainability Tourism Council (GSTC)’s Destination Criteria. With this certification, I urge hospitality organisations to press on with and step up their contributions towards sustainable tourism. Dr Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment
To augment the goals of the SG Green Plan 2030, we took a decisive step to integrate sustainability within the conference for the hospitality industry. The conference highlighted the macro and micro issues challenging hotels and businesses today in their competitive transition to a climate-resilient future, and the power of innovation, design and technology as well as education to revolutionise hospitality operations. Mr Lim Boon Kwee, Chief Executive Officer of SHATEC

In his keynote speech on Pan Pacific Hotel Group’s circular journey, its Chief Executive Officer Mr Choe Peng Sum said, Hotels contribute not just food waste, but also heavy water and energy usage. It will be expensive to upgrade the infrastructure of 80 per-cent of hotels in Singapore, but we need to do it as responsible stewards of the environment for the hotel industry. Mr Choe further expressed to business owners and hospitality leaders, Many travellers are looking for sustainable hotels but it’s not easy for them to find green accommodations. If we plan it right, designing energy-efficient new hotels or retrofitting existing ones with green technology can be economically viable.

In one of two panel discussions held during the conference, Ms Tan Yen Nee, Director, Hospitality Division Policy & Planning Group, Singapore Tourism Board (STB) reaffirmed how they are supporting local hotel industry leadership on their fulfilment of the Hotel Sustainability Roadmap, stating, STB will continue to work closely with SHA to raise sustainability standards across the industry. This includes educating the industry on best practices; supporting hotels in attaining internationally-recognised sustainability certification, such as GSTC; raising awareness of our hospitality & tourism sector’s sustainability efforts; and promoting sustainable consumption amongst visitors, to close the loop.

About SHATEC

SHATEC was set up in 1983 by the Singapore Hotel Association to equip Singapore's hospitality industry with a skilled workforce. Since then, SHATEC has distinguished itself as arguably Singapore's most recognised hospitality school with many of its 30,000 strong alumni from more than 20 countries helming key positions in the hospitality and tourism industry.

It is a strong advocate of creative teaching methods. Lessons and programmes at SHATEC are further enhanced by exposing pupils to experiential learning experiences that are as close to a working environment as possible. Students also reap the benefit of interacting with local and international instructors and guest speakers who eagerly share a wealth of knowledge in their respective fields and impart important people-to-people skills gleaned from experience.

Besides nurturing young minds and talents, SHATEC is also a key player in preparing career switchers and mature workers to join the hospitality industry. As the industry school, it also offers a myriad of programmes and workshops to up-skill practitioners in the hospitality industry.