Through the adoption of sustainable measures, tourism companies can reduce their costs by up to 30%, according to Xavier Font, a lecturer at Leeds Beckett University (UK) and co-director of the International Centre for Responsible Tourism, who gave a conference at the assembly of the Barcelona Sustainable Tourism (BST) programme, run by Turisme de Barcelona.
Recycling waste, reducing electricity and water consumption, and offering eco-friendly activities to guests are some examples of sustainable measures that hotels and tourism companies can introduce in order to reduce costs. Font, an expert in tourism marketing and sustainability, believes that companies should regard sustainability as an added value and he sees no future for businesses that fail to incorporate it in their business culture.
“Providing guests with free bicycles and routes to follow, offering a discount on the price of their stay if they re-use towels, and promoting longer stays so as to reduce the amount of air traffic are some examples of simple initiatives that can reduce the environmental impact and represent savings for hotels,” the expert assured us.
barcelonaturisme.com
