Whether queuing at airports or chilling out under a beach umbrella this summer, how many people will spare a thought for the environmental impact of their holiday?
Quite a few, according to a new survey* by Small Luxury Hotels of the World. In fact, nine out of 10 UK travellers believe tourism development is in danger of destroying the very environmental resources on which it depends.
The tide has turned. Where once people turned a blind eye to the destructive elements of tourism, they are now pushing for change. They are making environmentally-informed decisions, even if they result in higher holiday costs.
Ten years ago, research identified a marked consumer disinterest in the economic, social, ecological and cultural state of travel destinations and their environs. At hotels, guests paid only lip service to saving energy or conserving water, let alone caring for local communities or preserving ecosystems.
Today, with the number of international travellers topping 700 million, consumers are waking up to the reality that we are using 30% more resources than the earth can replenish.
Eighty percent of UK travellers are prepared to pay an extra £30-£70 per fortnight to stay in a hotel with a responsible environmental attitude, showing that cost no longer inhibits sustainable tourism ideals.
The survey, conducted by SLH for the International Hotels Environment Initiative, demonstrates that people are pushing their responsible tourism ideas beyond recyclable toilet paper and biodegradable soaps.
“Tourists now recognise that the earth is at risk as never before, “ says SLH’s Brian Mills. “Over the past 30 years, we have not only altered the chemistry of the air and reduced the planet’s natural ecosystems by a third, but subjected humanity to numerous chemical hazards, wasted enormous quantities of water, contaminated rivers, exterminated life forms even before recording their existence, destroyed forests and wiped out whole communities of people living near holiday developments.”
But today’s holidaymaker is now much better informed. Ninety percent of British travellers interviewed consider it part of a hotel’s responsibility to actively protect and support the environment.
Particularly popular are hotels which look after wildlife (87%), are sensitive to marine life (74%) and are designed to reflect their surrounding architecture and landscape (70%), all measures much closer to their heart than properties with biological waste water treatment systems (only 40%) or using electricity from renewable supplies like solar power and wind (35%).
Also of uppermost importance to guests is that their hotel offers financial support to (74%), and shares primary resources (water and power) with (78%), its local community.
So how can YOU help minimise the environmental ravages of tourism?
• Cycle or walk instead of using cars and busses
• Save energy by turning off lights and air conditioning when leaving your hotel room
• Ask your hotel to only wash your towels when they are really dirty
• Support the local community by sticking to local food, rather than imported international fare
• Try to be tolerant of language difficulties and sensitive to local dress culture
• Prioritise excursions and other activities run by local organisations
• Be willing to share the beach with local people
• Pay extra care when throwing away rubbish likely to harm animals
• Swim carefully in sensitive ecosystems like coral reefs
• Avoid shopping for things you will end up throwing away
The survey* was conducted in July 2002 by Small Luxury Hotels of the World on behalf of the International Hotels Environment Initiative, of which it is a member. It covered 300 travellers at airports in the UK, the US and Australia, also showing that British holidaymakers are leading the global move for environmentally responsible travel (please request second press release on international findings).
The purpose of the survey was to get a feel for current consumer views on sustainable tourism, identifying attitudinal changes and new holiday trends.
About Small Luxury Hotels of the World: SLH brings together more than 270 of the world’s finest-quality hotels, each assessed and regularly checked to ensure it adheres to stringent quality controls and maintains the very highest standards..
The group offers the ease of booking and familiarity of an international hotel chain, while at the same time retaining and promoting the unique character, individuality and independence of each of its member properties.
About IHEI: Led and funded by chief executives of the world’s leading hotel groups since 1992, the International Hotels Environment Initiative (IHEI) promotes continuous improvement in the environmental performance of hotels throughout the world.
IHEI is presided over by HRH the Prince of Wales through his educational charity, the International Business Leaders Forum. It represents 11 multi-national hotel groups, between them representing 68 brands, hotels on five continents and two million rooms.
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