Also Tulum, then a place as far from tourism as today the Sierra Madre de Guerrero. There, by the sea, with a private pool in front of my cabin, I understood that I was living at the end of an era. Today, Tulum is one of the most saturated places on the planet; the jungle, a commodity with which to play (and invest) in the long term, and the Caribbean, an amusement park for tourists from all corners of the world.
It is curious, I tell myself, that in that distant 2008, sustainability and minimizing our impact on the environment were not yet mainstream., they barely circulated among conversations of very committed people, almost activists. Today, with the entire Caribbean coast of Quintana Roo (and practically all the beach and alpine paradises on the planet) plagued by real estate developments, reducing our carbon footprint when it comes to enjoying our trip is part of any hotel project.
But first let’s go to the data. According to Jacques Demajorovic, one of the world’s leading experts in hotel eco-efficiency and coordinator of the Environmental Management program at the SENAC University of São Paulo, in Brazil, “a 75-room hotel represents a consumption of 338 liters of water per room, in a a hotel with 500 rooms or more is 790 liters, while a citizen at home consumes just over 300 liters”. That is, the hotel as a concept, dating back more than 2,000 years, is not friendly to the environment. To this reality we must add the concern of customers, who are increasingly aware of their carbon footprint when traveling. If you want to cross the Atlantic, the only solution is the plane.
The World Travel & Tourism Council recently met in Manila with the aim of establishing some of the major guidelines that they will implement in the next three years.
So why not focus our efforts on the protection of nature at the destination hotel? At least 66 percent of hotel tourists believe so, according to a survey carried out by the Eurostar hotel chain, which also shows that 23 percent of those surveyed would be willing to pay a little more for their room as long as they are guarantee respect for nature from the hotel facilities.
It was then that the industry got down to business. The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) met late last year in Manila, Philippineswith the aim of establishing some of the major guidelines that, especially the large international chains, will try to implement over the next three years.
“We are presenting the basics of hotel sustainability to ensure that no hotel, no matter how small, is left behind in the drive to introduce basic sustainability measures at a minimum level in the next three years. Sustainability is not negotiable, but not all small hotels have access to science on how to make a difference”, said Julia Simpson, president and CEO of the organization, during the aforementioned congress.
The 12 guidelines approved during the discussion days and that are already a reality in many establishments are: measure and reduce energy use, measure and reduce water use, identify and reduce waste, measure and reduce carbon emissions, create a linen reuse program, eliminate straws and stirrers single-use plastic, replace single-use water bottles, replace single-use mini water bottles, use green cleaning products, offer vegetarian options on menus, create community benefit and reduce inequalities.
For now, some of the large international chains, such as Accor Hotels, Radisson Hotel Group, Meliá Hotels International, Marriott International, Hilton, Iberostar Hotels & Resorts and Bahía Príncipe Hotels & Resorts have already adhered to most of these changes. , applying modifications in their organizations as soon as possible to meet the objectives. The problem, as Simpson specifies, lies in independent hotels, boutiques, and those of medium and low range, where it becomes more difficult to achieve economic efficiency while protocols are activated to care for the environment.