Blog

Sustainability is on trend.

What's more, there are accommodation, transport and activities that will cost more because they are environmentally friendly. It is not just in tourism that green brands are more expensive.

However, sustainability is a complex concept that, like accessibility, has been oversimplified. Today we identify sustainability only with environmental impacts, but this is not entirely correct.

The truth is that the concept is much broader than that, and you can only learn how to have sustainable accommodation if you understand it first:

What is sustainable development?

Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It takes into account the environmental, economic and social impacts of development. These impacts are evaluated, both positively and negatively, using a range of indicators and standards of varying complexity.

But don't worry: we're going to discuss them in a _simple and practical way _ so that you can create some positive impact from your accommodation!

Employ responsibly!

Properly paid jobs, where employment is primarily created with the local community in mind, are considered positive economic impacts, in line with sustainable development. This is because the money circulates within the local economy.

You can also extend your community concept to travellers and choose to have volunteers. Whether it is better for your business to have receptionists or volunteers depends on several factors that we told you about in a previous post.

You may be interested in reading: Volunteers vs Receptionists [Free Download]

Empower your community!

No doubt there are people in your area who want to share their knowledge and experiences. Respect the local community, include them in your tourism offer, for example through excursions: Culture is preserved and shared :)

Processes that respectfully and responsibly empower the people who live in a territory are considered positive social impacts.

Take care of the planet!

Consume responsibly!

Be careful with the use of water and avoid the use of disposable plastic and paper (especially at reception!). As well as ensuring that staff in the accommodation are aware of this, it is also important to raise awareness among guests so that they too can be responsible consumers, both in the accommodation itself and throughout their trip. You can, for example, put up signs in rooms and common areas with advice on consuming responsibly.

We must preserve our natural resources and avoid polluting: We only have one big house and we must take care of it.

In conclusion

Now you know that when we think about sustainable accommodation we have to consider more than just the environment, because sustainable development has to consider environmental, economic and social impacts.

And you, have you thought about how to have a more sustainable accommodation?

If you liked this post, let us know :)

Photo by NeONBRAND at Unsplash.

Presentación y adaptación de los conceptos presentados en Ávila, P. Z. (2018). La sustentabilidad o sostenibilidad: un concepto poderoso para la humanidad. Tabula Rasa, (28), 409-423.