From carbon offsets for air travel to eco-friendly accommodation and even carbon neutral conferencing, green is definitely in; and tourism operators are jumping on the global bandwagon towards sustainability, while at the same time boosting their green cr
From carbon offsets for air travel to eco-friendly accommodation and even carbon neutral conferencing, green is definitely in; and tourism operators are jumping on the global bandwagon towards sustainability, while at the same time boosting their green credentials.
The aviation sector has been keen to get on board, giving passengers the option to purge their guilt over the amount of carbon dioxide emitted through their air travel by volunteering to pay a few extra dollars towards a carbon offset scheme.
Local carrier Skywest, and major airlines Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin Blue, all offer voluntary carbon offset programs for passengers to negate their portion of carbon emissions from the flight, which is then passed on to various offset programs.
Other tourism businesses, including hotel operators, are also becoming more aware of their environmental footprint, with many pursuing strategies to reduce their impact.
TravelCorp business manager Vanessa Weigall said while the airlines had been quick to adopt the green travel trend, locally there had been an increase in the number of environmentally friendly accommodation products in WA, mostly in the form of eco-retreats and lodges.
“There’s definitely more product on the market,” she said.
“Certain destinations try and promote themselves as more eco-friendly, so if there’s a hotel there they try and minimise their environmental footprint.”
Ms Weigall said leisure travellers in particular were becoming more aware of the impact their travel was having on the environment.
“Travellers are getting greater exposure to the issue, in terms of where they stay and minimising their environmental impact,” she said.
EcoTourism Australia director and part owner of the Ningaloo Reef Retreat, Paul Wittwer, said green travel and eco-tourism were growing by about 25 per cent annually.
He said most of the more eco-friendly products tended to be at the high end of the market, with experienced, cashed-up travellers seeking unique experiences.
“Research shows that the trend [towards green travel] is growing,” Mr Wittwer told Business Class.
“There’s always going to be a place for five-star resorts, but the upper end is shifting towards experiential products.”
With the growing number of operators making ‘green’ claims, Mr Wittwer said the launch of Tourism Australia’s ‘carbon friendly’ module this year should allow consumers to buy with confidence knowing the claims had been verified by a reputable source.
“There’s been a lot of green-washing, a lot of people are saying they’re green, but there are little ways for consumers to validate their claims.”
“With the ‘carbon friendly’ module, businesses will be able to put a stamp on their business and actually say, ‘we are doing these things to reduce our carbon footprint’.”
In the hotel market, Mercure hotels recently launched its ‘Mercure meetings’ initiative, which it claims is the first to offer carbon neutral conferencing.
Mercure has teamed with the Carbon Reduction Institute, which will calculate carbon emissions and the amount of credits and increase energy efficiencies at conferencing facilities, to streamline the carbon offsetting process.
Accor’s senior vice-president Australia, Simon McGrath, said the initiative recognised the industry’s obligation to provide a greater level of environmental responsibility.
He said one of the key points was that the Mercure hotels would carry the cost of the carbon emission offsets, not conference groups themselves.
The hotel joins the four-star International Esplanade Hotel Fremantle, which claims to be WA’s first carbon netural hotel, in asserting its green status.
The Esplanade Hotel has offset its carbon footprint by securing 9.6 hectares of Ecuadorian rainforest, in conjunction with Rainforest Rescue.
