New body highlights cost savings of responsible tourism practices

Undertaking more sustainable business practices can reap cost savings for travel and tourism businesses, says Adrian Simpson. Mr Simpson is the director of the International Tourism Partnership (ITP), which began operations last month. It is a non-profit organisation, aimed at encouraging companies in the travel and tourism industry to be more sustainable. Mr Simpson told TravelMole that companies and individuals were increasingly interested in making their businesses more environmentally sustainable because of a desire to be more responsible, but also because of the cost savings that can be incurred by practices such as being more energy efficient. ITP is looking to gain more members over the next six months and predominantly works with the hotel industry at present, due to connections with the International Hotel Environment Initiative (IHEI), (of which ITP is the umbrella programme). “We are riding on the success off IHEI, launched in 1992 and benchmark.com, an energy saving software package which helps hoteliers see where they can save energy. It is being revamped at the moment” said Mr Simpson. The organisation already has a number of members on board who fund ITP through membership fees. These include Hilton International, Marriott International, Starwood Hotels and Resorts and Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. Mr Simpson says there is a difference between ITP and the Travel Foundation, another responsible tourism organisation which launched at the ABTA Convention. He told TravelMole: “We are structured differently because we have a small membership base and we are project specific.” ITP has an international panel of experts who provide information about the latest sustainable issues and solutions, headed by Dr Harold Goodwin, director of the International Centre for Responsible Tourism at the University of Greenwich. The aim is to work with leading academics in sharing, documenting and communicating best practices to the future leaders of the hotel, travel and tourism industry. Two projects underway include a siting, design and construction initiative, which will launch mid-2004, offering advice to hotels on the issues encountered during construction and renovation. The second is a marine recreation advice initiative, which includes things like what to ask a scuba diving company for a hotel that is looking to add scuba diving to its activities. But Mr Simpson says ITP is already talking to potential partners in the cruise industry and is looking to expand to tour operators, and other areas of travel and tourism.