Devastating floods in Valencia, Spain;
wildfires and extreme heat in Greece; hurricanes destroying coastal towns in
North America — climate change is causing horrific damage and loss of human
life now, and it’s happening not just in remote areas but popular tourist
destinations too.
While no event can be completely attributed to climate
change, science shows us that rising global temperatures make these disasters
more frequent and much more deadly. So why is the tourist industry so
complacent about taking action to make tourism part of the climate solution,
before it’s too late?
At present, tourism accounts for
approximately 9% of global greenhouse gas emissions, but, so far, it has been
slow to take accountability for its part and enact the change we need. In
the short-term rental sector, we’re quick to point at aviation or cruising as
the culprits, without acknowledging that we have a big part to play too.
When I speak to people at conferences, on
LinkedIn, or on webinars, everyone is enthusiastic about fighting climate
change — as long as they don’t have to do it themselves. Compliments abound for
those taking action on climate change, but they aren’t a substitute for active
participation and leadership.
EnviroRental grew out of my asking property managers at a conference two years ago how strategically important sustainability is to our industry. The overwhelming majority, 95%, agreed. But rarely any had taken action and it remains tough today to encourage real sustainability action.
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The conundrum is how to help more leaders
move from intention to action or, to put it another way, close the gap between
belief and behavior. The
ability to believe in change while you’re at a conference, or even while
watching the news out of COP29, but doing nothing to make a
difference, is a kind of cognitive dissonance. In sustainability, this problem
is almost universal. What the industry needs is leaders who are willing to take
action now and show others the way
forward. This is how I believe we can do that.
Putting sustainability at the
center of strategy
Most
short-term rental companies aren’t yet directly affected by climate change, so
it isn’t a top priority — or at least so they think. But the effects are there
already: the rising price of electricity and gas; extreme temperatures putting
off guests; and even local regulations attempting to combat overtourism which
unfairly target vacation rentals.
Little
by little, every area of every business will be impacted by the climate crisis,
from increasing costs to staffing shortages and dropping revenues. We need more
leaders to connect the dots and see that sustainability needs to be central to
strategy for businesses to succeed, or even just survive.
The business case for
sustainability
Many
leaders just see sustainability as a cost center, but even small changes can
make a huge impact on their business. Aside from obvious benefits like
appealing to sustainability-conscious guests, better reviews, and lower running
costs, there’s plenty of evidence that becoming a more sustainable company is
good for business.
- Reach the growing market of
eco-conscious travelers— According to Booking.com’s 2023 Sustainable Travel Report,
74% of travelers believe they must act now and make more sustainable choices
to save the planet (up from 66% in 2022). That’s a significant, and steadily
growing, portion of the market that wants more responsible stays and
experiences. - Save energy — Smart thermostats can
save as much as 12% on heating bills and 15% on cooling bills, while
flow-reducing showerheads can reduce water consumption without making guests
feel uncomfortable. - Attract more repeat guests — Repeat guests are
welcomed by property managers, as they can be directed to the manager’s own
website, saving on marketing and OTA fees. - Retain staff — Today’s employees are
looking for more than just a paycheck; they want to work for companies that
reflect their own values, especially when it comes to sustainability. A strong
commitment to sustainability can transform a workplace and attract employees who
are committed to making a difference. Keeping these employees engaged and loyal
is easier when they feel aligned with your company’s values, as evidenced by a Consumer Intelligence Series survey on ESG (Environmental, Social & Governance). It found that 86% of employees
prefer employers who care about the issues they care about.
Move with the changing landscape
From
specific accreditations to traveler awareness, change is happening
and those who don’t join the wave will be left behind.
I’m not arguing that change isn’t
happening. Some key companies are doing really creative and important work on
ESG — such as Host & Stay and Travel
Chapter — but they are truly in the minority. Most organizations pay
lip service to the topic or are not engaging at all.
This is simply not good enough and they do
a disservice to the future prosperity of our industry and our communities.
We
don’t need just a few people tackling sustainability perfectly, we need
everyone involved doing it imperfectly. In this way, we can create meaningful
change and best move the needle to maximum effect.
What would make a difference?
- Each business allocates just 0.1% of their annual profits to sustainability: even a small amount of each
company’s profits dedicated to sustainability projects and the green transition
in their own business can make a huge difference. - Each CEO dedicates just one working day of the year to building
sustainability in our industry: true leaders lead
by example. A day volunteering, learning or sharing experiences can be enough
to inspire others to follow. - Each company appoints a sustainability manager to drive change: a specialist can focus on
sustainability, even part-time, within the business and influence their
stakeholders to help too, from clients and suppliers to their own colleagues.
Where this is already happening, we see really creative initiatives that are making
amazing waves of change.
Embedding sustainability in the sector
won’t work when left to a small minority of passionate people, however hard
they work. It will take the whole community, and it will require funds and
support from directors to help great ideas come to fruition.
Change can happen quickly, but usually it
comes through smaller incremental steps. We need action across the industry —
but first, we need leadership to show others what the forerunners are doing, so
that they can follow suit.
About the author…
