2021 Rest of the World Responsible Tourism Awards

Climate change is with us. It is something we now have to learn to live with. Climate change will have profound consequences for businesses in our sector and people and wildlife in originating markets and destinations. We must also find ways to reduce the amount of carbon that people travelling and on holiday cause to be emitted. We have to change the production and consumption of tourism – travel, accommodation, attractions and activities all need to act to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Through the Awards we would like to showcase examples of technologies, management systems and ways of changing consumer behaviour that have demonstrably reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

https://betterplaces.nl/
https://fairaway.de/

The judges were impressed by the extensive range of ways in which Better Places, a small tour operator, actively reduces the carbon footprint of the holidays it organises, as well as their transparent and easy to understand communication of the positive and negative environmental impacts of their trips. Pioneering early adopters, they committed from 2019 to reduce carbon emissions by 5% every year, with the target of achieving a 55% reduction by 2030. They measure and offset 100% of all residual CO₂ emissions, including local transport, accommodation, activities and their clients' independently booked international return flights. Better Places acknowledge that Scope 1 and 2 emissions are hardly relevant for travel organisations that do not own accommodation or an airline and acknowledge the importance of including their Scope 3 emissions, which can account for as much as 80% of a company's total CO₂ emissions. This inclusion of significant scope 3 emissions within their calculations set them apart and caught the judges' attention. "They acknowledge that offsetting is no solution and reducing is the only way forward." They have increased their European offer and encourage clients to fly less often and stay longer when they do. Better Places has imposed a CO₂ tax on themselves of €12,50 per customer travelling outside of Europe and €5,- per customer travelling in Europe, increasing by €2,50 and €1 every year, investing the proceeds in sustainable energy projects through crowdfunding platform Lend-a-Hand, in 2019 they invested €20,000. For the detail of their achievements, see.

https://www.bucuti.com/

Situated on Eagle Beach, the resort is very vulnerable to sea-level rise. In the early 2010s, they set a carbon-neutral goal. Major initiatives include installing the island's largest private sector solar panel system, decreasing waste stream-to-landfill by 62% all the while increasing occupancy to 98.5% in the first year of net zero auditing, installing double-paned, insulated air-filled or film-coated windows, and converting from an air conditioner/chiller system to a Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) cooling system. The solar panels provide 15% of Bucuti's energy needs. Combined with 25% island-sourced energy produced by wind turbines and solar panels, the resort runs on 40% clean energy. The United Nations proclaimed Bucuti & Tara's model "highly replicable and scalable for any size entity" when it presented the resort with the coveted Global UN 2020 Climate Action Award for Carbon Neutral Now. The judges were impressed by the range of measures taken by the resort to reduce its carbon footprint and its commitment to continuous improvement. Its carbon neutrality is achieved through quality carbon offsetting. 

https://www.hydrao.com/uk/

We have not previously awarded a technological solution. This innovative nudge technology is easily installed and helps reduce CO₂ emissions by encouraging users to take shorter showers thus saving energy and water (an often-overlooked area when it comes to CO₂ emissions). Behavioural change can significantly reduce emissions, and these Smart Shower Heads encourage people to take shorter showers, through simple visual alerts based on the total volume of water used.  Among Hydrao's hospitality partners that have installed showers, Marriott Courtyard - Arceuil and Golden Tulip - Lyon have reported 40% and 36% hot water savings, respectively. 57,000 have helped save and estimated 2.4 billion litres of water. A Life-Cycle Analysis of the shower heads reveals that after 162 showers, the negative impact generated by the production of the ALOE shower head (due to the presence of a PCB and a micro-turbine, and manufacturing location) is offset by the environmental gain brought about by the savings made in use. 

https://www.muchbetteradventures.com

The judges were pleased to see the inclusion of Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions in Much Better Adventures carbon measurements. Excluding international flights, Much Better Adventures calculated the average carbon footprint across all its trips to be 112kg CO₂ per person in 2019 and 106kg CO2e per person in 2020, with the figures being peer-reviewed by partners and experts across the industry. They report the typical breakdown of the carbon footprint of a trip as accommodation 39%, food 24%, ground transfers and transport 11%, office and staff travel 6%, internal flights 5% and additional commodities 15%. Much Better Adventures are "firm non-believers" in offsetting.  They have introduced carbon labels on all their trips, allowing customers to easily see and understand the carbon footprint of their trip in advance. They donate 5% of turnover to the Much Better Adventures Foundation, which invests in reforestation and rewilding projects. They published their carbon footprint methodology with a call to action by other businesses. 

http://www.seafuel.eu/

SEAFUEL is an EU Interreg Atlantic Area project started in 2017 that aims to demonstrate the feasibility of powering local island transportation networks using fuels (hydrogen) produced by renewable energy and seawater on Tenerife, with no carbon footprint. An electrolyser is producing green hydrogen from seawater and solar power. Next, a hydrogen refuelling station and a fleet of converted hydrogen fuel cell vehicles for use on the island.  The pilot plant is expected to be in operation by the beginning of October 2021. We anticipate that SEAFUEL will apply again in 2022 when the pilot is complete and fully operational.

In the Awards last year, we saw several destinations which were beginning to rethink the tourist volumes and market segments that they will attract post-Covid and some who were considering demarketing. The apparently inexorable increase in visitor numbers has been halted by the pandemic. Many destinations have had a "breather". A reminder of what their place was like before the hordes arrived. An opportunity to rethink tourism and perhaps to decide to use tourism rather than be used by it.

The judges recognised that this was both a difficult category to enter and to judge in the context of the global pandemic. They were unable to identify a Gold winner and found no less than four ones to watch, all of which they hope to see again soon when they are tried and tested.

https://www.gardensbythebay.com.sg/

Gardens by the Bay restructured and reviewed its business processes, pivoting to meet the needs of the local domestic market, from retail to education and outreach. The Gardens shifted its content from onsite to online and providing landscape design and horticulture services to others. They intensified training to upskill and cross-train staff. They have created a digital platform to connect with youth and young adults to enable people to experience the Gardens or participate in various programmes - be it concerts, workshops or games - in a digital manner. They have reoriented to connect with the local domestic market through paid virtual workshops for the public, organised plant auctions and an eShop to connect with the public, enabling people to bring a slice of the Gardens home, such as terrariums, mini gardens and bespoke plant collections created by the Gardens' horticulturists.

https://www.germany.travel/en/ms/feel-good/sustainability.html

The German National Tourist Board (GNTB) has launched an "Enjoy Sustainability" campaign offering a selection of destinations that meet sustainability criteria. "Unspoilt natural landscapes, fresh, surprising cuisine, competent and responsible hosts: those who travel sustainably are not only doing something good for the environment, but above all for themselves.  … With our 10 Tips for a Sustainable Holiday, you can combine a good conscience with maximum holiday enjoyment on every trip. And with our CO2 Calculator you can determine the unavoidable emissions of your planned trip, so that your carbon footprint can remain as small as possible even on holiday." The GNYB have linked sustainability with good experiences and raised the visibility of local entrepreneurs committed to sustainability.

https://professional.barcelonaturisme.com/en/blog/check-barcelona-the-app-to-improve-the-visitorflow-management
https://checkbarcelona.com/en

Barcelona is developing a new and unique tool to assist visitors and residents alike. "The new technological tool consists of a city guide with real-time information about how busy the tourist sites are and the availability of tickets." Turisme de Barcelona and the Barcelona City Council in partnership with the technology provider EureCat, have developed the new web app, Check Barcelona.  The App enables visitors to check, in real-time, how busy different sites are and to manage their bookings following the safety protocols and to avoid places when they are congested. By empowering visitors and locals to make informed choices about when to visit, visitor satisfaction is expected to increase and contribute to managing tourism in the city by improving visitor flow. The App also facilitates access to public transport information. Launched in May 2021, the judges were impressed by this smart destination initiative which we expect will, once proven, be replicated in cities and national parks.

https://geotourist.com/tours/3764

Geotourist and Historic Environment Scotland's tour covers 14 points that span 3.5km in Holyrood Park. The digital audio trail is designed to disperse visitors away from the traditional 'pressure point' of Edinburgh's Royal Mile through immersive storytelling with sound effects, music and local dialect to give an authentic experience. As Geotourist is accessed via Smartphones, it did not need any traditional handsets, making it COVID safe and omitting the need for cleaning devices and no requirements for staffing of the site to provide access to the tour. "GeoTourist is your own personal tour guide for the world's most interesting attractions, landmarks and beyond. Based on your exact location access auto-play guided audio tours in multiple languages right on your smartphone." 

https://www.cinnamonhotels.com/cinnamondhonvelimaldives
https://blog.cinnamonhotels.com/virtual-diving-experience-with-cinnamon-divestream-maldives/

Cinnamon Hotels provided intermediary care centres for COVID-positive patients at Cinnamon Red and Trinco Blu by Cinnamon. Through Divestream, 'broadcast' on YouTube, grounded tourists were invited to live out their travel dreams through the first immersive diving experience in the Maldives, providing a world-class virtual travel experience and promoting the Maldives as a diver's paradise. The series included live commentary from marine experts who educated audiences about what they were visually experiencing, how to dive and physically experience these locations, and the beauty of the deep sea without harm to any of its ecosystems. Divestream was an interactive experience with live chat. The campaign on Facebook and Youtube achieved 300,000 episode views, 500,000 episode views, and 897,400 video impressions. The brand received a 67.8% increase in website traffic, resulting in approximately 100 room nights and a 334% increase in revenue. In 2022 Divestream Season 2 will be delivered in partnership with the Ministry of Tourism, offering virtual access to the beauty of the oceans and strong messaging about what needs to be done to protect and preserve them.

https://www.facebook.com/rwmf.official/
https://rwmf.net/2021/moving-ahead-virtually-with-rwmf-2021-and-bjf-2021/

Faced by the pandemic, Sarawak's Minister of Tourism explained their purpose "By going virtual, RWMF 2021 and BJF 2021 will allow devoted fans to relive and reminisce on the highlights of past editions, and give new audiences a glimpse of the festival and what makes them so special." Viewers were able to watch the performances, interviews and flashbacks and engage in conversation with other online users throughout the 90-minute event as well as access workshops from the virtual Bidayuh, Iban, Chinese and Malay houses. The Rainforest World Music Festival had 402,865 viewers from 79 countries and the Borneo Jaz Festival recorded 244,637 viewers from 43 different countries. In 2022 there are plans for hybrid festivals. 

The Covid-19 pandemic has dramatically increased the amount of single-use plastic, adding to the plastic waste crisis. Plastic waste is now entering the food chain of other species as well as ours. Once plastic enters watercourses, it ends in gyros of garbage in the oceans, on beaches and in the stomachs of fish we then eat. The industry needs to do more to reduce its use of single-use plastics and take responsibility and work with local communities and their governments to capture waste plastic with nets and floating barriers and upcycle it for as cobbles, furniture and crafts.

https://www.sixsenses.com/en/resorts/laamu

At Six Senses Resort on The Maldivian island of Laamu, guests join a Sustainability Tour to see innovation and experimentation in action at their Earth Lab, their hub for self-sufficiency and zero waste. The resort has set itself the goal of becoming plastic-free in 2022. This includes all front of house plastics but also food packaging. One of their biggest challenges was the styrofoam boxes local fishers were using to store their catch in before bringing it to the resort, the staff worked with packaging suppliers and local fishers and now have food delivered to the resort in cardboard boxes lined internally with panels made of hemp, jute, and wood fibres, 100% biodegradable and compostable and eliminating 8,300 styrofoam boxes every year. Through reverse osmosis followed by ultraviolet purification, filtered saltwater is desalinated, cleaned and made suitable for showering and drinking in glass bottles. Their  Leaf Garden provides 40 different herbs and greens, and the 'Kukulhu Village' provides eggs and chickens for their restaurants. By harvesting supplies on the island, the resort is able to significantly reduce plastic food packaging. They sell a plastic-free toolkit in the boutique, which includes a reusable water bottle, reusable bag, bamboo toothbrush, and wooden pencils. Guests are sent packing tips asking guests to leave single-use plastic products at home and take any plastic waste home where it can be better recycled. Abandoned fishing nets, washed up on the beach, are upcycled.

Fifty per cent of water sales in all Six Senses Laamu's restaurant outlets goes into a fund providing clean, reliable drinking water to local communities in need. Six Senses Laamu stands out for having installed enough water filters (97) in the local community to eliminate over 6,8 million plastic water bottles every year. They have also conducted over 200 beach and reef cleans- including submitting data to Project AWARE- and held education sessions for all members of the public on plastic pollution and waste management.

https://group.accor.com/en

Accor has made significant progress in eliminating common single-use plastics from its operations. The group has achieved an impressive level of engagement in this initiative with 94% of Accor hotels worldwide aiming to eliminate all guest-related single-use plastic items in all hotels by the end of 2022.  72% offer an alternative to plastic water bottles.  The mainstreaming of plastic reduction across the group's operations should encourage others to follow suit and start to change consumer expectations in this area.  

https://www.panpacific.com/en/hotels-and-resorts/pr-collection-marina-bay.html

The resort has taken a comprehensive approach to reduce plastic consumption, in 2020, they stopped using plastics and plastic packaging completely, such as straws, stirrers, carrier bags and are transitioning away from using plastic cup lids, switching to biodegradable options, saving around 73,000 plastic items a year. In the guest rooms, the hotel stopped used plastic packaging in 2020 and is transitioning to using dispensers, saving 1.19 million individual units of plastic packaging. By providing filtered water and refillable glass bottles, the hotel saves 360,000 plastic bottles yearly.

https://www.diamondresorts.com/

Diamond Resorts is a timeshare company with 92,000 resorts and 400,000 owners. In 2016 Diamond Resorts Europe switched to dispensers in rooms and, in 2017, set a target of reducing their consumption of single-use plastics by 50% within five years. They have launched 'The Globe Trotter Bottle Competition' to encourage members to purchase a reusable "We Are Water' drinks bottle and travel with it, avoiding consuming  plastic bottles

https://marinedynamics.org/
https://www.iol.co.za/capeargus/news/project-storm-is-minimising-ocean-waste-in-overstrand-municipality-7e25c124-8592-4515-99ff-6d5e8fdd6375

Marine Dynamics have long organised beach clean-ups and installed fishing line bins. Most recently, the organisation has worked with the municipality to design and develop a storm water drain net which was installed over a storm drain in Gansbaai to prevent plastic from entering the ocean. Stencils were placed on the drains in town with a message of "Don't Litter. The Sea Starts Here." Marine Dynamics has analysed the "waste catch" in the nets, 141.55 kg to date, and discovered that cigarette butts are the largest pollutant by number and plastic bags were the largest pollutant by weight.