Luxury hotels must play a key role in changing consumer habits to ensure visitor indulgence does not equate to environmental piracy, a leading tourism expert has warned.
Speaking on the eve of a seminar (tomorrow Friday August 14) discussing the challenges climate change brings to the tourism industry, The University of Queensland’s Charles Arcodia said Australian hotels were among the top five energy users in the commercial and service sector.
Air-conditioning alone accounts for more than half of that energy consumption.
Dr Arcodia, a senior lecturer with the UQ School of Tourism, is mid-way through a three-year research project into water and energy consumption and waste disposal in the hotel industry.
Funded by the Hospitality Training Association, the research is looking at ways hotels can minimise their impact on the environment while meeting the expectations of consumers.
"The challenge lies in the fact that 5-star properties are selling the notion of luxury and that brings with it the expectation of the traveller that they can use what they like with impunity,’’ Dr Arcodia said.
"We must educate visitors who are paying top-dollar for luxury items so they understand that just because they have bought the item it does not give them the ticket to be environmental pirates.’’
Dr Arcodia said while hotels had demonstrated their commitment to the environment by generating policies to reduce their impact, the key lay in the practical application of those policies.
He said environmental sustainability was a crucial issue for the hospitality industry as a whole.
"As well as the impact of energy consumption on the environment, there is also a significant financial cost,’’ he said.
"Our hotel industry has come a long way in terms of its commitment to the environment, but the challenge is to change the behaviour of the hotel visitor.’’
These issues will be discussed at a planning meeting with Professor Stefan Gossling, from Sweden’s Lund University, who is an internationally respected voice on the impact of the environment on tourism.
He will address the School of Tourism at a seminar on Friday discussing The Future of Tourism from a climate change perspective.
In Australia for the Tourism Futures conference on a visit sponsored by Griffith University and Tony Charters & Associates, Professor Gossling believes climate change is one of the biggest threats to global tourism.
"The key challenge is that tourism will be affected by climate change and yet it is also a significant contributor to the problem,’’ Professor Gossling said.
"The industry – and consumers – will need to rethink the way we travel and take steps to reduce the impact of our recreational practices on the world in which we live.”
Media: To arrange interviews or for more information phone Jodie Powell, Media Officer, School of Tourism on 3346 9258 or 0409 946 796.
The Future of Tourism: A climate change perspective is part of the UQ School of Tourism Seminar Series.
Date: Friday, August 14
Venue: The University of Queensland, St Lucia Campus
Location: Colin Clark Building 39, Room 112
Time: 11am-noon.
