This week, we discuss the trend of sustainable hospitality and ecotourism, alongside the benefits of running green businesses and why now is the perfect time to adopt more environmentally-friendly practices.

Ecotourism on the Rise 

The UN, the government and the public’s sustainability ambitions are growing rapidly, a sentiment embodied by the UK’s new £290 million pledge to combat fossil fuel emissions. Going green is a consideration across all industries, including issues such as waste disposal and recycling, low carbon transport and energy usage. Amongst the many businesses trying to cut carbon (and embrace the perks of sustainable branding along with it), hospitality and tourism companies make up a particularly large denomination. 

In fact, according to a survey published by ecobnb.com, 73% of customers on Booking.com are searching for sustainability as a key criteria in their get-away. What’s more, another report by Deloitte found that “95% of business travellers surveyed believe that the hotel industry should be undertaking ‘green’ initiatives and that sustainability will become a defining issue for the hospitality industry.” Undoubtedly then, the public’s awareness of environmental issues, made only greater by high profile climate events such as COP26, is filtering down to their consumer choices when it comes to hospitality establishments. 

Right here in London, this trend is especially strong. According to one London Evening Standard article investigating the capital’s sustainable hospitality scene, demand is driving an upsurge in green projects across all manner of restaurants and bars. One example is The Conduit in Covent Garden, which according to co-founder Paul van Zyl, has “doubled down on sustainability credentials since reopening due to growing interest from Londoners.” Upon doing so, the business had 700 membership applications in their first month, “six times their projection.” 

These findings go hand in hand with that of Andy Days, founder of successful ecotourism company Wild Days, who argues that “the need is greater than ever and conditions are ripe right now.” Fortunately for tourism and hospitality businesses recovering from the financial impact of COVID-19, the move from “niche to mainstream” means undeniable profitability, and organisation’s of all setting, style and size may benefit from sustainable branding.

Why Hospitality and Tourism?

The urgent need to cut carbon emissions may be ubiquitously understood at this point, but why is hospitality and tourism the perfect candidate to make changes? 

As Assistant Professor at the University of Central Florida, Sergio Alvarez, explains “all tourism relies on the natural and cultural resources that attract tourists.” He goes on to describe how both the natural beauty of pristine beaches and the cultural heritage of cities such as Paris “all share one thing in common: [they] are threatened by human activity, and in many cases, tourism itself is a main threat to these attractions.”

Litter and plastic waste, the rampant air pollution caused by coaches, rental cars and  planes, food waste and high energy demand at carbon intensive times create a litany of issues for the area, including degrading the biodiversity, atmosphere, natural resources and extreme weather risks in both natural or urban environments. The publication Stacker phrases this problem best, stating that “ironically, the places many tourists are saddest to see disappearing are victims of that very industry.” Examples of the worst affected -and yet most popular- sites include Alaska, Fiji and the Great Barrier Reef, which have been harmed by sea pollution, rising sea levels, rising temperatures, heat stress and coral bleaching. 

Furthermore, The Cambridge Institute of Leadership has suggested that “5% of global greenhouse gas emissions (a figure expected to grow by 130% by 2035) are attributable to tourism”. As one Trivago blog article explains, the Paris Climate Agreement found that the “hotel industry will need to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions per year by 90% before 2050 (compared to the baseline from 2010)” in order to comply with current targets. Within the UK alone, there is the daunting issue of 920,000 tonnes of waste generated by just the UK’s hospitality industry each year.

Greenwashing 

Clearly then, the tourism and hospitality sectors are both partially responsible for -and receptive to the benefits of- a sustainable shift. But willingness to adapt is not the only issue. In many cases, it’s the validity and intent of that adaptation which consumers must bring into question.

If consumers are indeed “willing to pay more” to go green, then they deserve to know what they are paying for. The key to this is driving a multiplicitous sustainability effort in your organization, ensuring that you reduce waste in multiple ways, alongside investing your own resources in the betterment of your local environment. 

One company doing sustainable hospitality the right way is Potato Head, the winner of Ketel One Sustainable Bar Award for Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2018, who eliminated waste in their choice of coasters, containers (they used coconut shells/wooden cups), napkins alongside the popular use of reusable straws. Another example includes Inkaterra, a bar who donate funds from their organisation to recognised conservation projects, alongside their multiple waste-saving strategies.

In the case of both organisations, various efforts to go green and company participation in sustainability awards demonstrates that these businesses are serious about sustainability, and transparent about the credibility of their operations. As ecotourism researcher Christina Geng-qing Chi explains in an interview, “today’s consumers are not always buying the green claims made by hotels… when ecologically conscious consumers know a hotel is not truly green, they will still use the linen reuse program, but they will not revisit the hotel.” 

That’s right, when consumer preferences for sustainability are driven by passion and fear, false claims around sustainability can be seriously damaging to your brand’s legitimacy. Geng-qing Chi goes on to advise against “statements like, «always, only, never,» because at the end of the day, «sustainable tourism» is an oxymoron. We can only do our best.” So, to be clear, before you rebrand as “zero waste” or “zero carbon”, ensure that you have a proven strategy to achieve these quotas.

Profitable Sustainability

All of this being said, a truly green hotel, restaurant, bar or resort is the ultimate way to futureproof your livelihood.

In an interview with the Financial Times, Andrew Stephen (previous CEO of the Sustainable Restaurant Association), urges that with zero waste, “there is government policy… down the tracks - in a few years’ time policy will start signalling the direction of travel. Restaurants have to move quicker than policy change.” 

Certainly, more regulations on sustainability across all industries are to be expected in the coming years if we are to meet UN targets. However, the evidence already suggests that consumers are willing to invest in green businesses. If your business is going to have to make changes in the future anyway, why not start profiting from them now? 

Of course, many organisations will squirm at the thought of donating their hard-earned profits to conservation funds much like Inkaterra did, especially in the wake of COVID-19. However, as the latter case demonstrates in their inclusion in the Asia’s 50 Best Bars competition, a whole-hearted attempt to go green draws in visitors by offering a well-rounded experience, a selling point only aided by the press exposure of such specialised competitions. 

What’s more, in many cases, sustainability provides the most convenient option for businesses and customers. As Web.com blog explains, custom energy regulation, bicycle delivery and paperless bookings are environmentally friendly, lower operational costs for businesses and provide guests with the speed and comfort of service expected in 2021. 

This piece also outlines the marketing benefits of a sustainable business, which include helping potential customers to find your business through key terms such as “sustainable”, “environmentally friendly” and “green friendly” in online directories when looking for a local restaurant or hotel. Including these search engine optimization (SEO) terms in your website content [will] help your business rank higher in online search directories to make it easier for travelers to find you.”

Inarguably then, it’s not just that restaurants, hotels, bars and resorts need to go green, but there’s plenty making up the business case for a sustainable regeneration. Loyal and passionate customers, press exposure and lower operational costs are just some of the many rewards available. 

Perhaps most importantly though, the tourism and hospitality sectors need to accept that this issue is not going away. Regulations are going to get tougher and, if the statistical trend is to be trusted, more and more consumers will be booking green visits in years to come. With that in mind, it’s time to make changes!

To learn more about how to run a sustainable hospitality business, read our Top 10 Sustainability Tips for Hospitality Managers and for free, no-obligation advice about saving energy, schedule a quick and friendly call with Miles today.