Where did all the green go?

Men, members of the fairer sex often like to quip, are incapable of multitasking. We’re single-minded folk – not short on concentration, but only able to pay attention to one chore at a time.

If that is the case, then the brains behind the regional tourism industry are undeniably male.

Six months ago, all the talk in the industry was tinged with green. Eco-this, enviro-that, sustainable everything…

Socially conscious tourism, it was being shouted from the rooftops, was the future. The only way we’d survive. The sole topic worthy of consideration.

The small matter of the worst economic conditions in living memory and that’s all forgotten!

Look, I’m not naïve; I understand the need to turn a profit and I’m not blind to how bad the current situation is…but the irony is that the environment and companies’ economic survival are dependent on almost entirely shared goals being achieved.

Loyalty, long-term viability, minimising waste, maximising potential…

Whereas, once upon a time, nine out of every ten press releases that I received had an enviro-angle to them, now I’ve not seen the word ‘green’ in a hotel’s announcement since Kermit, Yoda and The Hulk had that ill-fated holiday in Abu Dhabi.

“It ain’t easy being green,” that TV star frog Kermit used to sing, and he was right. But it is the only way to move forward.

Or maybe it is. I can’t decide. You see, typing and thinking at the same time has left me a little confused.