Going Green

Claudia Gardner, Hospitality Jamaica Writer

Hoteliers and other members of the Caribbean's hospitality industry will have to 'go green' if their businesses are to survive in what is becoming an ever increasing environmentally conscious marketplace, said Deirdre Shurland, chair of the Caribbean Alliance for Sustainable Tourism.

"Even in today's world, if you cannot demonstrate to your average visitor from North America and Europe, which are the two major source markets for the region, that you are doing these things (environmental protection), then you will have a problem," Shurland said.

"If you don't have something that demonstrably shows that you are doing something - because these people are coming with some level of guilt and they want to do right - if you can't demonstrate that you are doing the right thing, then nobody will come to your property," she said.

adhere to principles

She said that 'the business as usual' approach is no option, as that is not going to work in the future with the type of visitors that are travelling, "And if you belong to a destination that purports to be green, and that is promoting green, it is your responsibility to ensure that your operations adhere to the principles espoused by the destination".

There is no excuse that any property can give, she warned, as "the information is there in abundance in a variety of sources; is downloadable from the Internet, so it is just a question of leadership".

Shurland was speaking last week at the 12th annual Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Investment Conference held in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad. Going Green was one of the themes of the parley.

green credentials

Lyndall Marco, executive director of the International Tourism Partnership, pointed out that many large companies were also taking into consideration the environmental practices of hotels in determining whether or not they conducted business with them.

"Corporations are now asking hotels for their green credentials because they are going to spend their corporate dollars in places that are operating in a sustainable way," she said.

The latest KPMG Travel, Leisure and Tourism Report's Fourth Annual Regional Banking Survey conducted among major financiers and developers in the Caribbean also noted that green tourism would be a major factor in the years ahead. It cited a growing trend in the region towards eco-friendly and green hotel brands and the focus on environmental issues is expected to rapidly become an increasingly important trend in the future.