Is there Sustainable Consumption and Production in Tourism?

 © UNWTO - International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development

by Marcela Torres

Do you ever wonder where the food you eat at a hotel comes from? How much water and energy the hotel consumes? Do you consider sustainability when choosing a hotel or tour operator? Or when you buy things for your trip?

These are questions worth pondering upon in a week in which the world celebrated Environment Day on June 5 and held the Ocean Conference in New York, in addition to the fact that 2017 has been declared by the United Nations as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development. And questions like these are being discussed in the massive open online course (MOOC) on “Sustainable Consumption and Production”, organized by the UNDP through its NBSAP Forum, which I’m facilitating in its Spanish version.

What is the role of consumers in promoting sustainability in tourism or any other industry? Well, the main role is to exercise their power on the demand side of the economy. More and more, efforts are being made by international organizations and advocacy groups to promote green consumption and many countries and companies have already incorporated principles such as “the polluter pays” into their legislations or business strategies.

Nevertheless, there is still a myth that individual consumers are the most responsible for sustainable consumption and that by providing them with information about the social and environmental consequences, sustainable consumption can be achieved through the market. However, research by the United Nations 10YFP Sustainable Lifestyles and Education Programme has shown that there are some mental blocks:

ideologies (“I should be free to buy what I want” or “Technology will solve environmental problems”)

social norms (“I’ll look strange if I do it” or “why should I do it if they don’t?”)

‘lock in’ to unsustainable capital (“well I already have the car…”)

mistrust or denial (“Those eco-labels are just a marketing ploy!”)

perceived risks of sustainable consumption (“what if the photovoltaic cells don’t work reliably?” or “won’t my colleagues think I’m poor if I take the train?”)

feeling that individual actions won’t make a difference (“I’m just one in 7 billion”)

emotional manipulation through marketing and advertising (“You’ll be happier with these products.”)

Don’t get me wrong. Consumers can and should make a difference, either individually or collectively. But being informed is not enough for them to take action. Sometimes they don’t have options. How many recycling facilities are close to their homes or (in the case of tourism) in their hotels? What is the cost of choosing a sustainable option over another one that is unsustainable?

I have previously discussed this in a paper published in 2013 by the Journal of Ecotourism. One of the biggest hurdles that must be overcome by the responsible tourism movement is that this type of tourism is usually more expensive than traditional tourism. If you scour the internet for marketing data, you’ll find many statistics indicating responsible tourism is a growing global trend and that today’s consumers expect travel companies to build sustainability into their product offer. You will also find many surveys reporting high percentages of people who declare they will prefer a sustainable travel company over an unsustainable one. But how true is this really?

There’s a catch… I can’t say that people necessarily lie during a survey, but their answers may often be influenced by what they consider to be polite or politically correct responses. Honestly, would you ever say (given the global evidence of pollution) that you “don’t care about pollution” or that you “like to pollute”? Probably not.

On the other hand, they may actually want to choose sustainability but are unable to. The truth is, in general, people don’t “mean to pollute” or choose unsustainable options. But sometimes they don’t have alternatives, because there are no sustainability initiatives where they live or stay, because they have strong mental blocks, or because they simply can’t afford them.

The good news is that, more and more, the responsible tourism philosophy is permeating many of the traditional tourism companies. While traditional mass tourism perhaps will never disappear, I do think that all companies will, in the end, include at least some measures to contribute toward sustainability and that tourists (as consumers) have an important role to play in this process.

World Tourism Day 2013: Conserving Water

by Marcela Torres

On September 27 we celebrate the 2013 World Tourism Day (WTD) under the theme “Tourism and Water: Protecting our Common Future”, which the World Tourism Organization (WTO) has chosen to underscore tourism´s responsibility and commitment in ensuring a sustainable water future.

Water availability and quality play a key role in the quality of life of humans. And tourism also depends on this resource in many ways, be it for consumption of visitors or as part of the attractions offered to travelers.

Although tourism has a minor share in world water consumption, compared to other industries such as agriculture and mining, it nevertheless contributes to the problem. For example, the hotel sector requires water for cooking, laundering, human consumption (drinks, showers, etc.), filling pools and irrigating gardens or golf courses, among other uses.

According to the WTO, since more than one thousand million people travel each year worldwide, tourism can be an important channel for raising awareness and changing behaviors, helping reduce issues of availability and quality of water resources and offering effective solutions aimed at achieving greater sustainability for water in the future.

Some related outstanding initiatives have already been set up by the tourism sector. For example, the British non-governmental organization Tourism Concern has a campaign on water equity in tourism, which promotes principles among governments, industry and society at large. The Just a Drop foundation relies on donations from tourism companies to fund clean water projects throughout the world.

People who have not yet taken any water-saving measures may start by taking baby steps. It is not necessary to do everything at once.

Here are some good tips:

• Reduce unnecessary water consumption in cleaning and cooking
• Check pipes and fittings to avoid leaks which cause loss of water
• Use water-saving technology
• Use recycled water from showers, washing machines and toilets or rain water to irrigate gardens
• Invite your hosts to contribute to reducing water consumption through information materials

Happy World Tourism Day!

This entry was originally posted by the author on September 26, 2013.

Travelers prefer green hotels

Solar panels in the rooms of GEN Suite Hotel, Santiago, Chile.
© GEN Suite Hotel

by Marcela Torres

A recent study carried out by Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration, in the United States, shows that business and leisure travelers prefer hotels with sustainability policies.

Based on the responses of 571 people, the study found that the single most important attribute for them is green certification. Respondents also supported that hotels set up refillable shampoo dispenser, energy efficient light bulbs, and towel- and linen-reuse policies. However, few respondents agreed that they would pay more to stay in a “green” room.

Although researchers warn that the study only interviewed people who indicated a willingness to stay in green rooms and, therefore, the findings cannot be generalized to all tourists, the results are still interesting because they reflect an increasing trend, particularly in travelers from the United States, Canada and Europe, and present challenges for the hotel industry.

I recently met with a representative of a hotel that is part of an international chain who told me that passengers often asked about the establishment’s sustainability but, according to her, it was impossible for a city hotel to be “green”. Perhaps, I said, but there are always things you can do to contribute to environmental conservation.

What better proof than the first green hotel that opened up in Santiago last year? Among other things, the new facility uses solar panels to provide electricity for its rooms and promotes recycling among its staff and guests. It doesn’t sound that hard, does it?

Other measures hotels can take –and that are in place in some of them- include asking guests to indicate whether or not they are willing to reuse their towels to avoid excessive water use in laundering and placing information leaflets with advices such as not letting the water run while brushing their teeth and not leaving the air conditioning on when they’re not in the room.

At a management level, hotels that strive to reduce their energy and water consumption and their waste generation may even end up saving money while showing concern for the environment. If you don’t believe me, I suggest you read the book “Green to Gold”.

There is always something that can be done and every little step towards sustainability matters. In the end, the planet and your guests will thank you for it. That is the key to responsible tourism.

This entry was originally posted by the author on August 5, 2011.