Can the travel industry do better for a sustainable earth?

Global travel surge has become a concern, and local communities are doubling down hard to preserve their environment and culture. Places like Peru’s Machu Picchu and Philippines’s Boracay were forced to be shut down temporarily to reverse the effects of over tourism. Now, 80% of global travellers agree that sustainable travel is crucial for protecting the environment and maintaining local cultures by lessening the negative impact of travelling.

In this post-Digital Travel APAC 2023, Jonathan Newbury from Preferred Hotels & Resorts, Laura Houldsworth from Booking.com, and Juliana Kua from Singapore Tourism Board, dish out on top travel sustainable initiatives they’ve seen that really WOW-ed them, from conservation programs in Mongolia to urban farming set in a repurposed school in Singapore!

What are some sustainability initiatives you’ve seen that are really interesting?

Jonathan

SO MANY! The hotels in our Beyond Green hotel brand (www.staybeyondgreen.com) embody sustainability in action. For these hotels, it’s not just about the products used or the energy saved but also about supporting their staff and local communities.

A few examples:

1. The Brando, French Polynesia - Solar panels provide most of The Brando’s power along with all hot water for both guests and staff. Toward its goal of carbon neutrality, The Brando also harnesses deep-sea water rather than using harmful hydrofluorocarbons to naturally cool its tropical villas with its innovative Sea Water Air Conditioning.
2. Three Camel Lodge, Mongolia - Conservation programs include a reforestation initiative that has planted more than 12,000 trees to prevent desertification. At the lodge, solar panels power LED lights, purified drinking-water stations fill reusable metal bottles, and more than 50 percent of supplies and ingredients come from within 50 miles – including from an on-site organic greenhouse.
3. andBeyond Mnemba Island - partners with The Africa Foundation, andBeyond’s long-standing community and conservation development partner. The foundation works with island communities on a range of community-led education, healthcare, small business development and conservation programs. One key success of this collaboration: completion of the washing facilities required to open the Kigomani Clinic on Zanzibar’s north-eastern coast. In a region where healthcare facilities are scarce, 11,000 people from surrounding villages now have access to nearby clinic care.

Laura

As consumers and providers understand more what it means to travel more sustainability, we are seeing so many innovations. There is no one size fits all, and our research shows that consumers also want to make sure that travelling more sustainably fits with their personal values as well.

In our recent Travel Predictions 2024 report, more discerning travellers tell us they are searching for accommodations that combine stunning architecture with sustainability, with two-thirds (60%) seeking accommodations that bring the wow-factor of sustainability innovation to the table.

This is also the point that impresses me the most - when accommodation partners really think holistically about their architecture, their infrastructure and incorporate sustainability from the day one of build. The closest to home of course is the iconic Parkroyal Pickering in Singapore. Properties like these go beyond basic measures like minimising single-use plastic, to really looking at water management, energy conservation and integrating nature with their designs.

Juliana

In small, densely-populated and highly-urbanised Singapore, tourism stakeholders have come up with creative ways to support and showcase sustainability. For example, Fairmont Singapore and Swissôtel The Stamford runs an urban aquaponics garden to serve fresh quality produce and to support Singapore’s goal of producing 30% of its nutritional needs locally by 2030. The aquaponics garden optimises limited space for growing produce, saves water and minimises water wastage.

Tour operators and other businesses have also curated tours for visitors to experience the unique sustainability efforts around the island. For example, the team behind Citysprouts @Henderson, an urban farm set within a former school, share their passion and practices for sustainability, while Let’s Go Tour Singapore’s Fish Farming and Sustainability tour brings visitors to Qian Hu Fish Farm to discover more about high-tech fish farming.

In Tribe Tours’ Hunt for the Green Treasure, participants solve a series of puzzles while visiting interesting properties around Singapore to learn about sustainable design. Gardens by the Bay, in itself a concept based on environmental sustainability principles, also provides guided walking tours on its premises, from birdwatching in the urban wetlands to learning about water-sensitive urban design concepts and sustainable energy cycles.

 Jonathan Newbury, Executive Vice President - Asia Pacific, Preferred Hotels & Resorts

 Laura Houldsworth, Managing Director Asia Pacific, Booking.com

 Juliana Kua, Assistant CEO - International Group, Singapore Tourism Board