Sustainable tourism and the holiday rental industry

Across the travel industry as a whole, we’re hearing terms like “sustainable tourism” a lot more frequently than ever before. Travellers and tourism service providers alike now have an increased social consciousness which is helping to drive this upward trend for the greater good.

WHAT IS SUSTAINABLE TOURISM?

The UN World Tourism Organization defines sustainable tourism as “tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities”.

According to a recent Sustainable Travel Report, 87% of global travellers state that they want to travel sustainably, and four in 10 confirm that they often or always manage to do so.

There are three key pillars which contribute to sustainability: –

• Economic
• Environmental
• Social

As a holiday rental home owner or rental manager, you have a role to play in ensuring that visitors to your property bring no harm on the area and, in addition, make a contribution to the local community and its economy.

HOW CAN YOU SUPPORT SUSTAINABLE TOURISM WITH YOUR HOLIDAY RENTAL BUSINESS?

Here are some suggestions of what your rental can do to move towards sustainability.

ECONOMIC

1. Give back to the local community

Investing profits back into your local community can help preserve and protect the area that your guests are visiting. This could be anything from shopping locally, to using local plumbing services or even donating money to a local cause.

2. Hire local staff

Besides investing money into the community, your holiday rental home can also be a source of income for local people. At some point or another, you’re likely to need cleaning services, a gardener or even a pool maintenance person. So, before going to the big chains, search to see if there are any local, independent contractors who can do the work for you.

3. Source local supplies

Sourcing items for your holiday rental property is another way to support the economic pillar of sustainability. Whether it’s handcrafted furniture and antique finds for your rooms, or locally sourced food for your guest welcome basket – try to source these supplies locally to further reinforce your support of the community. In addition, leave information about where these items come from – so your guests can check them out whilst visiting your area.

ENVIRONMENTAL

1. Energy conservation

Energy is one of the biggest talking points for sustainable travel – with energy accounting for 60% of a property’s carbon footprint. Luckily, there are some easy, actionable tips you can put into practice to transform your holiday rental into an eco-friendly home. Installing energy-efficient lighting and appliances, adding solar panels to your property and recycling water are all excellent ways to cut down on energy use.

2. Water conservation

While it’s unlikely your rental uses as much water as a hotel, it’s not something that should be overlooked. Worldwide, over 780 million people still do not have access to an improved water source.

No matter where your property is located, you can perform simple tasks which will help reduce water consumption. On the property level, you can conduct a water audit to investigate where you’re consuming the most water and repair any leaks or drips. In terms of promoting sustainable tourism to your guests, you can ask them politely to reuse their towels, to only run the dishwasher or washing machine when full and to ensure they switch all taps off after use.

3. Waste and recycling

Providing recycling facilities inside your holiday rental is the first step in the right direction to reducing overall waste. Place clearly marked containers for organic, plastic, paper and glass in your property, and educate your guests on how to use them effectively when they arrive.

Holiday Footprint has launched the first nationwide Food Bank Drive initiative in Spain to reduce waste in the holiday rental industry by encouraging guests to donate leftover, unopened, non-perishable goods at the end of their stay.  Those few unopened tins in the cupboard at the end of a rental booking may not seem much, but on a national scale, this could soon add up to kilos of food that can be donated to local food banks.

4. Transport

What transport options are available for your guests? If it’s suitable for your area, can you provide bicycles to discourage using cars as frequently? Or can you provide information on public transport to get around? This will help reduce their – and consequently your property’s – carbon footprint in your local area.

SOCIAL

1. Encourage guests to purchase locally

Instead of seeing guests head for the mass-produced souvenir shops, show them what is unique to your area and encourage them to purchase mementos from local people. This will help inject capital into your community and its local entrepreneurs! Warn guests to steer clear of animal products (skins, shells, horns etc.) which are likely to have been sourced unsustainably (or in the worst case – illegally).

2. Inform guests about local projects you’re a part of

If you’re actively participating in or donating to a local project of any kind (such as our Food Bank Drive) to promote sustainable tourism, make it known to your guests as they may be willing to take part, too. In the recent Sustainable Tourism Report, many travellers indicated they engage in sustainable travel behaviour because the activity itself adds a positive vacation experience to their trip.

“When done right, sharing what sustainable or local community projects you are involved in with your guests can be not only educational, but may often motivate guests to contribute or assist in some way.

Without being boastful, preaching or guilt-tripping the social conscience of guests relaxing on their well-deserved holiday, occasionally mentioning your involvement in projects on social media, your website or in conversation can not only give them a genuine local/sustainable experience on their holiday but can have a positive impact on your business as guests are more likely to share stories of their sustainable travel experiences and stay in your holiday rental when they get back home.”

Jannich Petersen, CEO of Spain-Holiday.com