Expert's Opinion: Elissa Keenan, Chief Executive Officer of Ecotourism Australia on connection between hotels and communities

Hospitality can have a big impact on local communities and the environment. On the positive side, hotels create jobs and draw in tourists who spend money at local shops, restaurants, and attractions, helping the local economy. But there are downsides too. More tourists can put pressure on local resources and infrastructure, sometimes making things more expensive for residents and even pushing them out of their homes. Environmentally, hotels can increase waste, water use, and energy consumption, which can harm natural resources and cause pollution. To lessen these negative effects, it's important for hotels to adopt eco-friendly practices like reducing waste, saving water, and using renewable energy.

Today, we are talking to Elissa Keenan, Chief Executive Officer of Ecotourism Australia, about connection between hotels and communities and the global strive to 'greener' tourism.

"Does receiving an international 'green' certification make a change for a hotel?"

• We know that increasingly more and more travellers are actively looking for sustainable options when travelling. Travellers will choose a destination or accommodation committed to supporting culture and community, and they may even spend more to ensure an authentic, sustainable and responsible travel experience.

• We also know that visitors are actively looking for authentic experiences backed by credible brands, particularly those holding a valid and current certification. There is a significant global shift around credibility and authenticity of green claims and ensuring they are backed up.  Greenwashing is a global issue that we need to work together on to avoid.

• Ecotourism Australia’s ECO and Sustainable Tourism Certifications use independent third party auditing which provide ongoing improvement recommendations for the hotel to ensure they continue to meet global best practice standards in sustainability.

• Undertaking Ecotourism Australia’s global standard ECO or Sustainable Tourism Certification can help hotels manage for the long term, provide a positive financial return, build resilience and protect our tourism product into the future.

• We know the demands of travellers are changing – visitors and tourism trade are looking for sustainable and responsible options, and are looking for clear, credible certification standards.  We know we need to commit now to really start embedding sustainability as a normal part of business and indeed it is a ‘must do’, no longer a ‘nice to have’.

• Sustainable tourism is important for all tourism activity, as every business has impact on its operating environment, the local economy and community and the region’s culture. A hotel can provide sustainable experiences for their guests while ensuring they are minimising negative impacts on the environment and maximising benefits for local communities and culture.

• Establishing a sustainability ethos within your business brings with it sustainability-driven customers looking to find holiday experiences that align with their values, as well as employees seeking an opportunity to work for a greater purpose.

• Being sustainable is not just about minimising environmental impacts, it also includes being connected and engaged in your local community. When your businesses is entwined and part of the community, you become an integral part that is then supported in return by the locals.

• Simple sustainability initiatives that hotels can do to benefit their business and the community include; sourcing local produce and supplies, engaging and recruiting local staff, participating in local issues and business groups, and including community give back into their financial decisions (e.g. sponsoring the local sporting club or a locals discount).

Hero image credits: EcoTourism Australia, Lovleah