Eco-friendly tourism operators save “tens of thousands of dollars”
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Hotels and tourism companies that follow environmentally-friendly practices can save “tens of thousands of dollars” per year, a new report has found.
A study of hotels and tourism operators in the EarthCheck programme, which benchmarks companies’ environmental operations, found that participating businesses achieved an annual reduction of up to 6% in terms of water use, 7% electricity use and a 15% drop in waste disposal.
This can generate savings of tens of thousands of dollars, in terms of annual operating costs.
The study was conducted by Griffith University’s Professor of Sustainable Tourism, Dr Susanne Becken, and analysed data from 1,047 business participating in the EarthCheck programme, including Banyan Tree, Peninsula and Taj Hotels.
“Our research revealed the biggest drop in consumption was in the first few years of membership, and businesses continued to sharpen their reductions and deliver benefits after several years in the EarthCheck programme,” Dr Becken said.
“Annual hotel operation costs for electricity and water use and waste disposal are often in the order of US$500,000 to US$1,000,000 and our analysis shows that all resource savings result in sizeable financial savings.”
Stewart Moore, CEO of EarthCheck, said the study validated his company’s mission to encourage sustainable tourism practices.
“Government and tourism industry operators have often rejected benchmarking and certification because it takes time and resources to implement, and until now it has been difficult to quantify benefits over any time period,” Moore said.
“This research proves the tourism industry can make a difference both to the environment and to their operational needs.”
EarthCheck is now used by more than 32 sectors of the tourism industry in 70+ countries.
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