British travellers call for more responsible holidays, says IHEI
British holidaymakers are leading the move towards environmentally responsible travel, even if that means paying more for a holiday, according to a new multi-national report on consumer travel trends by the International Hotels Environment Initiative (IHEI).
IHEI says that research is has recently carried out shows that where once travellers turned a blind eye to the destructive elements of tourism, they are now pushing for change. “They are making more environmentally-informed decisions, even if these result in higher holiday costs.”
The IHEI survey, ‘HOTELS CARE’ (Community Action and Responsibility for the Environment) was conducted this month among travellers at airports in the UK, US and Australia by IHEI member hotel group Small Luxury Hotels of the World. Among the findings were:
According to IHEI director Karen Fletcher: “Ten years ago only a handful of hoteliers recognised their vital role in protecting our environment and sustaining tourism.
“Today there is a groundswell of awareness within the industry that the survival of tourism destinations depends upon our ability as individuals and organisations to reduce the pressures on the earths ecosystems. Fortunately for hotels this translates into tangible cost savings and business benefits.”
HRH The Prince of Wales, who launched IHEI 10 years ago, said: “When I launched IHEI in 1992, little did we know there would be such an astonishing leap in consciousness and concern around the world about the threats to the sustainability of our planet.
“Nor was it entirely certain that the hotel and tourism industry COULD play a positive role in improving the environmental performance of its own industry and raising the awareness of others.”
Writing in the current (10th anniversary) issue of IHEI’s ‘Green Hotelier’ magazine, he concluded: “I hope it is no longer too ambitious to suggest that the industry as a whole now needs to design, develop, refurbish and operate a new generation of hotels that have a minimal environmental footprint, and which also support and strengthen the communities in which they operate.”
‘HOTELS CARE’, was conducted for IHEI by Small Luxury Hotels of the World, July 2002. For a full report and more information, contact Stephanie Ponsford T: 01372 224600 Out of hours: 077 646 77455, mailto:[email protected]
Read the IHEI definition of Sustainable Tourism
See the TravelMole list of Sustainable Tourism organisations
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