Iniciativas Eco-responsables y RSE

🚶 Absentismo laboral in the hospitality sector, notably in Canarias, can exceed 20%. Carla González, CEO and creator of Birced Bienestar, offers the Método Birced de Bienestar Profesional to transform routine job movements into health-improving exercises, potentially reducing absenteeism by at least 30%. The method involves 4-day training sessions, 3 hours each day, with 98% satisfaction reported. It targets various hotel departments, with 75% of trainings for housekeeping staff, and has been implemented by chains like Gloria Hoteles, Hovima, and Meliá. Birced Bienestar aims to reduce costs from sick leave, which averages €14,000-€24,000 per year per employee.

📈 Meteorologist Mario Picazo, at the III Sustainable Destinations Summit by UN Tourism in Mallorca, highlights the urgency of climate action, emphasizing the goal of maintaining average global temperatures around 15 degrees. Picazo references Robert Swan's famous quote, stressing individual responsibility in combating climate change. He suggests climate change will lead to hotter summers and shifts in tourism seasons, particularly in the Mediterranean, predicting a decline in July-September tourism. Increased ocean temperatures are causing more intense hurricanes, and higher greenhouse gases could mean more flight turbulence. Picazo concludes that ecotourism will become more prominent, focusing on social inclusion, sustainability, and environmental respect.

🌿 Manderly Agriculture (MAG) collaborates with ITH to bring organic food to the international insular hotel sector, starting in Cabo Verde, where tourism represents over 70% of GDP. MAG focuses on local production of gourmet products using solar energy and recycled water to serve hotels sustainably. Founder Alicia Gómez, a biotechnologist from Imperial College of London, emphasizes reduced import dependence. Expansion plans include economies like the Bahamas and Seychelles.

💾 Connectycs, under CEO Javier Soriano, supports independent and small chain hotels with technological solutions. A June 19 announcement highlighted a collaboration between ITH and Connectycs-Strive, backed by Strive-Mastercard, to advance hotel digitalization. The Connectycs ecosystem, now in its third year, focuses on distribution and payment certainty, with over 3,000 hotels served. FinPay is their key tool, offering benefits like Time2Market, secure transactions, and a unified operational environment. The simple implementation process involves Channel Manager integration and a 48-72 hour FinPay registration. Success stories, including those from the ITH Innovation Summit 2024 in Madrid, demonstrate improved operational and financial efficiency.

🌱 Travelers in Costa Rica can calculate and compensate their carbon footprint in real-time for transportation, electricity, and air conditioning using a calculator at https://www.fonafifo.go.cr/es/calculadora/. The initiative funds tree planting, watershed protection, natural regeneration, and agroforestry systems. Costa Rica's sustainable tourism model includes small-scale businesses, with 94% of accommodations having fewer than 40 rooms, and a commitment to conservation with nearly 60% forest coverage, 26% protected areas, and 6.5% of the world's biodiversity. Fonafifo, recognized for its Payment for Environmental Services (PSA) program for over 20 years, has facilitated the reforestation of 1,470,152 hectares from 1997 to 2023 and planted over eight million trees since 2003. Over 18,000 contracts have been signed, benefiting biodiversity conservation areas and local communities.

🏖 Iberostar Waves Royal Andalus, a 4-star hotel in Novo Sancti Petri, Chiclana de la Frontera, Cadiz, offers an all-inclusive experience, beach access with Ecoplaya and Blue Flag recognition, and a golf course designed by Severiano Ballesteros. The resort boasts 451 rooms, including 48 family rooms, three pools, one being a children's water park, and a diverse Star Camp activity program for ages 0-17. Culinary options include 2 restaurants and 3 bars, with sustainable ingredients and a Michelin-starred chefs' restaurant nearby. Sustainability efforts include food waste reduction via AI, solar panels for electricity and hot water, and a partnership with the University of Cadiz for dune maintenance.

🌱 In Bilbao, Altos Hornos de Vizcaya, a former steel plant, is now marketed as "sustainable." A previously virgin area has been developed with twenty 15-story buildings branded as "Green living." Nearby, an abandoned construction site is masquerading as an "urban garden" for residents. Another building for sale advertises sustainable emotional and spiritual symbiosis. The term sustainable is often misused, exemplified by these developments.

📍 Vueling to launch a new route between Istanbul and Barcelona on the 29th, initially operating three times a week and planning to increase to seven weekly flights by March 2025. They have the rights for up to ten weekly flights. Meanwhile, Wizz Air will commence long-haul routes between Europe and Asia in March 2025, including London to Jeddah and Milan to Abu Dhabi, maintaining its ultra low-cost approach. Iberia has been exploring routes between Asia and Spain for almost a year with 49 new connections through Doha, targeting 17 in Africa, 18 in the Middle East, and 6 in Oceania. The competition with major airlines such as Turkish Airlines, Qatar Airways, or Etihad Airlines is not a concern for these carriers.

🏖️ Hosteltur awarded the Tourism Communication Prize by the Spanish Association of Scientific Experts in Tourism (AECIT) at the 23rd AECIT Congress gala dinner in Madrid. The congress theme was "Transformations in tourism for a changing world: challenges and opportunities". Other winners included Turistec for technological innovation, Icárion for sustainability, and Grupo Caldaria for health and wellness tourism. The congress took place on October 24-26, discussing digital transformation and public policy analysis in tourism.

🏖️ The Círculo de Empresarios de Turismo Sostenible de Canarias (CETURS) was established on October 2 with aims to promote sustainable tourism and free enterprise within a market economy. Ricardo Fernández de la Puente was elected as president, with Inés Herrera as vice president, Lorenzo Quintero as secretary, and Jorge Menéndez as treasurer. CETURS plans to organize educational events and promote studies to further sustainable tourism and provide solutions to the sector's challenges.