Sustainability in the hospitality sector: an interview with Ciro Verrocchio

Chapter III Practical evidence of environmental management: an

purchase weekly stays to undergo medical and aesthetic treatments. The medical protocols are based on the principles of Western medicine and will be complemented by experiences with a holistic component. That is, guests will have the opportunity to do yoga, meditation, and much more. The General Manager of Palazzo Fiuggi will be Mr. Ciro Verrocchi, with whom I had the opportunity to talk about sustainability in the hospitality sector.

"Big companies have pioneered Green initiatives."

Since the mid-1990s, Starwood Hotels and Resorts has implemented a program called the 'Green Program' in all its hotels, the aim of which is to reduce energy consumption and thus the emission of pollutants into the atmosphere. Among other actions, this included switching off and switching on the lights in common areas. It may seem like a small gesture, but if the initiative is multiplied by all of the approximately 2,000 facilities in the world that Starwood managed at the time, the

reduction of the so-called 'Carbon Footprint', i.e., the CO2 emissions released into the atmosphere for the production of electricity, one can deduce the high level of sustainability of the initiative.

It must also be remembered that "the hotel sector is perhaps among the most polluting sectors”.

One only has to think of the consumption of electricity, water, the use of many detergents and soaps for washing whitewash, crockery, square meters of upholstery in the facilities, etc.

"In the 1990s, Starwood's Green Program asked guests to opt not to change their sheets every day during their stay." Starwood was among the first hotel chains to use this green initiative also in their luxury branded properties (ST. Regis, Luxury Collection Westing).

It is fair to point out that at the beginning of the 1990s, "The green initiative, like that of Starwood, was not a well-liked initiative by a certain category of management, which, tied to the legacy of the past, did not consider it right in luxury hotels to ask a guest if he or she wished not to have their sheets washed every day. This also in view of the price paid per room per night."

Over the years, however, the green culture has become more and more ingrained in the clientele, and nowadays even in luxury hotels the redemption, i.e., the percentage of adherence to these programs, is constantly increasing. "I remember that in Intercontinental, (the IHG luxury brand) the Green Programme had a redemption of 45-50%, i.e., that out of ten guests about five agreed to have their sheets washed every other day during their stay."

The initiatives in terms of sustainability that accommodation facilities already operating today can implement are manifold, from the Km0 menu to Plastic Free, the use of energy-saving light fittings, peak energy management optimizers, eco-friendly cleaning products, organic waste management, and optimal waste separation etc....

"There is no doubt that the greatest impact on sustainability is achieved when co-building a hotel from scratch or carrying out major renovations, as we are doing in Fiuggi”. Indeed, especially in the construction phase of the hotel structure, eco-sustainable choices can be made right from the start, starting with building materials, efficient insulation to reduce heat loss, and more...

"For example, cogeneration, i.e., a plant capable of producing two types of energy: electricity and heat, in a single process that can reduce consumption by up to 40% and consequently reduce CO2 emissions into the air." Even the reduction of water, now considered a much more precious

commodity than in the past, can be achieved by making eco-sustainable choices such as the purchase of special showerheads that amplify a flow of water through a greater mixture of air, providing guests with a pleasant experience and reducing water use by around 30%. For facilities with large parks, there is the possibility of building rainwater harvesting tanks, which can then be reused in the irrigation of outdoor areas. Sustainability in the last 10 years has increasingly become a criterion of choice for guests, who, as we mentioned earlier, have developed a deep awareness and sensitivity to the eco-sustainable choices made by accommodation facilities. Therefore, more and more guests are deciding to stay in a hotel depending on how eco-sustainable it is and what certificates of eco-sustainability it possesses.

The most important thing is that: "What has to be perceived by customers is the 'sincerity' of the green activities implemented, and these must not be done in a short-sighted perspective of management savings”' on which they certainly have an impact, but which must nevertheless become the main objective.

The big companies associate these savings with charitable activities, following various NGOs. "I remember, for example, that in Starwood we supported the activities of UNICEF, and in

Intercontinental an association on cancer research."

According to data from Sincert, the National System for the Accreditation of Certification and Inspection Bodies, in the field of EMS certification, Italy ranks fifth in Europe and only eighth in the world. Why?

Certainly, the conformation of our tertiary sector, which is still made up of medium-sized and small family-run companies, still needs time to develop a more eco-sustainable culture and “Green Oriented” investments. The advent of the large international companies that in recent years have acquired the most important accommodation facilities in the strategic cities of our country, through management re- gated by management or franchising contracts, will help Italy to increasingly grow the culture of sustainability also in the world of tourism and hospitality.

"I am confident that we have all the right cards to move up the rankings quickly in the coming years."

Impact of the Covid-19 pandemic: tragedy or opportunity?

The Covid-19 pandemic was a destructive event from any point of view and the tourism sector is certainly one of those sectors that suffered the most. The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), the international body that publishes tourism statistics, estimated that during the peak of the crisis, one million jobs were lost every day in the sector⁴⁵.

Although the situation may seem like a tragedy despite encouraging signs of recovery, it is actually more of an “opportunity”. Indeed, “the pandemic has actually led to a rethink and - at least

temporarily - a change in behavior”.

And really at this point, one should understand what has happened as an opportunity and a definite push towards more sustainable tourism.

The chorus rose directly from the European institutions, where MEPs approved a new European strategy to make tourism safer and more sustainable and to facilitate its recovery in the post- pandemic period.

"Such a broad involvement on the issue of sustainability has never been seen before; Covid should be seen as an opportunity to modernize tourism in a broader sense, making it more environmentally sustainable and socially responsible".

Yes, because as certified during Allianz Partners' Global Travel Summit 2022 event six out of ten (60%) households in the 25/40 age group say they will pay more attention to the environmental impact of their travel in the future, compared to the pre-pandemic period⁴⁶.

"it's been a terrible time for everyone, but reading these numbers warms my heart a little and the hope grows in me that we can really take the ultimate step forward despite the fact that sometimes it takes a destructive event to bring about change"

The world is constantly evolving. The rise of the eco-conscious consumer after the Covid-19 pandemic, combined with a turbulent geopolitical landscape, creates some headwinds for an otherwise robust travel recovery.

45 World Travel & Tourism Council: LESSONS LEARNT DURING COVID-19

46 CS - Allianz Partners Travel Trends, 2022

Much has been done, much remains to be done: some considerations

Since the 1980s there have been many international initiatives for more sustainable tourism (see picture)

47

Source: Shu-Yuan Pan et.al., Advances and challenges in sustainable tourism towards a green economy, cit, p.454

Since the 1995 Lanzarote Charter calling on governments to draw up concrete action plans for an integrated sustainable development strategy, much has been achieved. For at least three decades, with the emergence of new types of tourism and with the fragmentation of tourist proposals, Italy and many other European and non-European countries have updated their legislative frameworks, focusing on respect for the territory and the full satisfaction of tourists.

However, the results achieved in these years of hard work should not serve as a point of arrival but rather as a starting point, since much can still be done and achieved in relation to the concept of sustainable tourism. Following the immediate reaction to the pandemic crisis, in line with the European Green Deal, the EC and Member States should encourage the digital transformation of tourism services to offer greater choice, better allocation of resources and innovative travel and tourism flow management models.

47 Shu-Yuan Pan et.al., Advances and challenges in sustainable tourism towards a green economy, cit, p.454

The Commission will promote a 'convention' on European tourism involving EU institutions, industry, regions, cities, and other stakeholders to build together the future of a sustainable, innovative and resilient European tourism ecosystem: the European Agenda for Tourism 2050.

The conclusions of the Tourism Ministers' Meeting on 4 May 2021 under the Italian G20 Presidency (G20 Tourism Ministers' Meeting 2020) go in the same direction.

The Ministers recognized the pandemic crisis as an opportunity to transform tourism in a more resilient, sustainable, and inclusive way.

They endorsed the G20 Rome Guidelines, which integrate seven policy areas for the future of tourism:

1. safe mobility (to restore and maintain confidence in travel);

2. crisis management (to minimize the impact of future crises on tourism);

3. resilience (to ensure a robust and stable tourism sector in times of uncertainty);

4. inclusiveness (to expand community involvement and the benefits of tourism);

5. green transformation (to manage tourism to sustain the environment at the global and local scale);

6. digital transition (to enable all tourism stakeholders to benefit from digital opportunities) 7. investment and infrastructure (to focus resources on a sustainable future sustainable future

for tourism).

Each area identified contributes both to restoring confidence and fostering recovery in the sector;

and to learning from the experience of the pandemic; and to make it a priority for the future to pursue the sustainable development of the sector.