Iniciativas Eco-responsables y RSE

🏨 Barceló Hotel Group celebrated its first hotel opening in Cape Verde with a ceremony attended by its co-president, the Prime Minister, and other country officials. The hotel Barceló Praia Cape Verde, a five-star establishment, opened in May and features 80 rooms with ocean and city views in Santiago Island's capital, Praia. The Group has announced three more projects: the Occidental Boa Vista Beach hotel, the Barceló Marine Boa Vista, and an Adults Only resort in Isla de Sal, totaling an investment of nearly €50 million. By the end of 2024, over 1,600 jobs, with 95% being local, are expected to be created. The Group also focuses on sustainability and social support in Cape Verde.

🏖️ The Imserso travel program for seniors offers 886,269 affordable places for the 2024-2025 season starting on September 23. In Costa Peninsular (Lote 1), there are 443,887 spots, with Andalucía providing 160,589, Valencia 155,099, Catalonia 106,322, and Murcia 21,877. The Costa Insular (Lote 2) has 230,039 spots, with Baleares offering 141,389 and Canary Islands 88,650. For inland and European tourism (Lote 3), there are 212,343 places available.

🌏 Canarias aims for all tourism products to report their carbon footprint by 2026, as stated by tourism councilor Jéssica de León and managing director José Juan Lorenzo at the UN's Tourism and Sustainability Committee meeting in Costa Rica. Marriott International Inc. tops the 2023 list of world's largest hotel companies by sales volume and room count. Stockholm Arlanda Airport experienced drone-related air traffic disruptions over two consecutive nights, prompting Swedish authorities to investigate possible sabotage.

🌍 Canarias aims for all its tourism products to report their carbon footprint by 2026, as stated by Tourism and Employment Counselor, Jéssica de León, and Canary Islands Tourism Managing Director, José Juan Lorenzo, at the UN Tourism and Sustainability Committee (CTD) meeting in Costa Rica. Canarias, the only Spanish destination represented, is committed to environmental sustainability with social benefits for locals. The government is working on vacation home regulation and a new Tourism Planning Law, updating the nearly 30-year-old legislation. Canarias has adhered to the Glasgow Declaration since 2022 and was the first Spanish destination with a Climate Action Plan to reduce CO2 emissions.

🏨 The hospitality industry, fundamental to tourism and hospitality, offers accommodations, services, and experiences beyond just overnight stays, encompassing a range of establishments from small B&Bs to luxury resorts. It's evolved with technological advances and personalized customer service, playing a crucial role in the global economy by generating employment and driving infrastructure development. This dynamic sector includes diverse offerings like restaurants and spas, requires significant capital investment, and greatly impacts local economies. Accommodations range from hotels and hostels to rural lodgings and aparthotels, with the classification system from one to five stars based on facilities and services. Future trends focus on personalized attention, increased use of technology like mobile check-in, and a rise in sustainable practices and health and safety measures. The industry is adapting to changing global trends, with innovation and resilience being key to its evolution.

🏖 In August, the Iberostar Waves Gaviotas Park, situated on Jandía beach, reopened as a family-friendly, responsible resort following comprehensive renovations, embracing sustainable practices reflecting Iberostar Beachfront Resorts' commitment to decarbonization and energy transition. The resort now features 237 rooms including new family rooms accommodating up to five or six people, 2 restaurants, 2 bars, 5 pools, spa, gym, water park, and kids' play area. Inspired by local Fuerteventura flora, the hotel's design minimizes environmental impact. Iberostar Waves Gaviotas Park operates 100% on renewable energy sources, aiming to reduce its scope 1 and 2 emissions by 85% and scope 3 emissions by 50% by 2030. It has replaced boilers with high-efficiency heat pumps and electrified kitchen equipment, moving towards sourcing all seafood from responsible sources by 2025.

🌍 Hoteliers in Portugal (59%), Norway (46%), and Spain (45%) feel most threatened by climate change, as per Booking.com's "European Accommodation Barometer 2024". The study indicates 41% of European hoteliers anticipate a high or very high impact on their business within three years due to extreme weather conditions caused by climate change. Additionally, 40% of Spanish travelers find sustainable certified accommodations more attractive, although 53% don't consider sustainable travel a key factor in planning, and 33% believe the damage is irreversible.

🌱 In Madrid, 'Hostelería Sostenible' has engaged over 300 establishments in three years to foster efficient and profitable businesses through sustainability. Hostelería Madrid drives this program, featuring annual personalized audits of more than 2,000 by an eight-specialist team, analyzing over 170 improvement points. Measures include rational water use, healthy food, energy efficiency, waste management, and single-use plastic policies. Participants display a QR-coded sustainability badge. José Antonio Aparicio, President of Hostelería Madrid, presented the project in Lima at the VI Congreso Internacional Ahora Perú 2024 on August 22.

✈ Air Europa, responding to staff concerns, enhances security for crews in Caracas, Venezuela, by adding two extra bodyguards during transfers following protests against Nicolás Maduro post July 28 elections. The airline previously adjusted operations, making a stop in Gran Canaria to avoid overnight stays in Caracas, leading to a Venezuelan government reprimand.

🏢 Yurbban Hospitality Group aims for a 43% revenue growth, leveraging Spain's tourism boom and strategic planning for future growth. With Óscar Bermejo joining as Operations Director, they are strengthening their executive team for this expansion phase. The company has three offices in Barcelona, Bogotá, and Miami, managing four hotels in Miami, and eyes growth in Spanish cities including Valencia, Málaga, and Palma de Mallorca, and in Lisbon and Oporto, Portugal. They also plan to grow in Colombia's Cartagena and Medellín. The team, now over 350 people, produces diverse accommodation concepts, serving different audiences, and focuses on sustainability practices within their Corporate Social Responsibility program, Around.