Award-winning designer Dr Leyla Acaroglu – who in 2016 was named a ‘champion of the earth, science and innovation by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) noted that “sustainability has now become a buzzword in the hospitality industry.”
“But it is a future,” she adds optimistically.
At the heart of this sustainable future, Acaroglu notes, is a growing awareness among the average consumer of the problems currently faced by the environment today, as well as the environmental and social impact of products and services, which in many cases is extremely high.
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“We’re specifically seeing a very big movement with regards the disposable products. People are feeling more and more guilt about participating in things like the ocean waste movement,” she says. “So it’s more important that service providers give their consumer environmentally-friendly options in their day-to-day interactions with their brands.”
Regionally, as part of efforts to encourage companies outside the hospitality sector to play a role in promoting sustainable tourism in Dubai, Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) is taking its 'Hospitality Sustainability Board Game' to a wider segment within the private sector.
Hussain Hassan Mohamed Khansaheb, director, international cooperation department, Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, said: “The UAE aims to transform its national economy into a low-carbon green economy based on its development of knowledge and innovation. Carbon capture and storage technology adopted by the UAE is considered one of the most promising and important technologies in the field of carbon emission mitigation in industrial projects.”
The Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) is also working towards enabling the hospitality industry in Dubai to become more sustainable and efficient in managing their resources.
Solaiman Al Rifai, senior project manager, Tourism Development and Investments is currently leading the Dubai Sustainable Tourism (DST) initiative, and he told Hotelier Middle East: "Tourism development is very important. We need to look at what exists in Dubai, what sort of offerings we have and how we can improve on it and create new destinations for tourists."