On this week’s episode we spoke with Roisin Finlay from the Sustainable Tourism Network
- Sustainable tourism, according to the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), is the development that meets the needs of present tourists, businesses, and regions involved while protecting and promoting opportunities for the future.
- It focuses on managing the resources in a manner that social, economic, and aesthetic needs are achieved without compromising essential ecological processes, cultural integrity, life support, and biodiversity.
- Between 1995 and 2020, tourism growth reached 25%, and it now accounts for approximately 10% of the global economic activity. Since 2022, the numbers have gained momentum, resulting in a major threat to biological diversity at all levels.
- In the 2023 Sustainable Travel Report which collected responses from over 33,000 travellers around the world, Booking.com found that a vast majority of those who travel are looking to do so in a more sustainable manner.
- To run a hotel or bed and breakfast almost every aspect requires electricity and energy. From the gym to the kitchen and guest rooms, hotels use a lot of energy to ensure that guests are comfortable. However, the high levels of energy consumption can quickly raise the travel carbon footprintand compromise sustainability efforts
- Some solutions for addressing the challenges to sustainable tourism include: Adopting a good sustainability plan for your facility which helps define clear goals for your hotel and partners.
- Making sure to include parties in your supply chain for greater impacts from your sustainability efforts.
- Support the local community’s initiatives, such as cultural events. This can help to make them part of sustainable tourism so that they can also benefit.
- Achieving sustainable tourism is a continuous process and it requires constant monitoring of impacts, introducing the necessary preventive and/or corrective measures whenever necessary.
- One of the biggest threats to sustainable tourism is a poor understanding of the concept. Although it has been around for some time, the idea of sustainable tourism can be complex to many in the hospitality industry.
- The Sustainable Tourism Network is Ireland’s leading and longest running body for the promotion and support of sustainable tourism envisioning a future where all tourism is sustainable.
9. The Sustainable Tourism Network offers training and certification to tourism businesses on everything from energy and carbon to water and waste, nature and culture and people and business.
Find out more at sustainabletourismnetwork.ie
