World Tourism Day 2023
Corporate 27/09/2023
Today, September 27, is World Tourism Day. A date that, because of our current activity, but also because of the baggage we carry with us, touches us very closely. This year, the theme is a declaration of intent: Tourism and green investments. Sustainability, in short, or what the vast majority of us understand by this concept.
The RAE has not exactly broken its head when referring to sustainability as the "quality of being sustainable". However, we like another of its meanings much better and it represents very well, in our humble opinion, the magnitude of the term: a characteristic of development that ensures the needs of the present without compromising the needs of future generations.
As you can see, this applies to everything. And in our field, it constitutes a way of proceeding that can be applied to the most diverse fields. From the obvious, such as the effort to use, as far as possible, so-called clean energies, to make responsible use of resources, valuable and scarce in equal parts, such as water, or to reduce our carbon footprint, to issues perhaps not so closely associated in the collective imagination with sustainability, such as care, and, above all, the imperative need to foster greater collaboration between public and private entities to create a tourism model that contributes, through the promotion of destinations (their services, gastronomy, culture, nature, business fabric, etc.), to their deseasonalization. ), to its deseasonalization, and therefore, to favor the preservation and development of its charms, and a harmonious coexistence between its local population and those who decide to visit them.
None of us are going to change the world (a facile argument), but we can contribute to do so (another hackneyed phrase). Whether forced, or out of conviction, that is the way forward. The roadmap we need to set ourselves. We can believe in climate change. We can embrace conspiracy theories and deny its existence or, at least, the real impact of our actions on its future. It matters little. Because the reality is that, beyond the convinced environmentalists and vehement deniers, all these steps are good for the place where we live (we are not talking about the earth as a planet, but also about our country, our city, our municipality) and for the professional activity we have chosen: hospitality. It is very hospitable to ensure the needs of our present, without compromising those of future generations. Or is it?
Moreover, it turns out that the traveler of our time has spoken out and we have the obligation to listen (if not out of conviction, let's do it because there is a lot at stake). Large corporations offer the possibility on their digital platforms to record our actions in this regard (it is no coincidence that they have worked to give them the visibility they deserve), and we know for sure that tourists value them more and more, and that they are willing to invest more in their getaways, vacations or business trips, when they are aware of their small contribution (and consequent conscience-cleansing). An unwritten win-win pact. Greenwashing is not, logically, the ideal model, but it all adds up, why deny it. And if it serves as a pretext to get the batteries (or solar batteries), it's a good thing.
Anyway.... Sharing this brief reflection with all of you is just an excuse to wish you a happy Tourism Day.
The RAE has not exactly broken its head when referring to sustainability as the "quality of being sustainable". However, we like another of its meanings much better and it represents very well, in our humble opinion, the magnitude of the term: a characteristic of development that ensures the needs of the present without compromising the needs of future generations.
As you can see, this applies to everything. And in our field, it constitutes a way of proceeding that can be applied to the most diverse fields. From the obvious, such as the effort to use, as far as possible, so-called clean energies, to make responsible use of resources, valuable and scarce in equal parts, such as water, or to reduce our carbon footprint, to issues perhaps not so closely associated in the collective imagination with sustainability, such as care, and, above all, the imperative need to foster greater collaboration between public and private entities to create a tourism model that contributes, through the promotion of destinations (their services, gastronomy, culture, nature, business fabric, etc.), to their deseasonalization. ), to its deseasonalization, and therefore, to favor the preservation and development of its charms, and a harmonious coexistence between its local population and those who decide to visit them.
None of us are going to change the world (a facile argument), but we can contribute to do so (another hackneyed phrase). Whether forced, or out of conviction, that is the way forward. The roadmap we need to set ourselves. We can believe in climate change. We can embrace conspiracy theories and deny its existence or, at least, the real impact of our actions on its future. It matters little. Because the reality is that, beyond the convinced environmentalists and vehement deniers, all these steps are good for the place where we live (we are not talking about the earth as a planet, but also about our country, our city, our municipality) and for the professional activity we have chosen: hospitality. It is very hospitable to ensure the needs of our present, without compromising those of future generations. Or is it?
Moreover, it turns out that the traveler of our time has spoken out and we have the obligation to listen (if not out of conviction, let's do it because there is a lot at stake). Large corporations offer the possibility on their digital platforms to record our actions in this regard (it is no coincidence that they have worked to give them the visibility they deserve), and we know for sure that tourists value them more and more, and that they are willing to invest more in their getaways, vacations or business trips, when they are aware of their small contribution (and consequent conscience-cleansing). An unwritten win-win pact. Greenwashing is not, logically, the ideal model, but it all adds up, why deny it. And if it serves as a pretext to get the batteries (or solar batteries), it's a good thing.
Anyway.... Sharing this brief reflection with all of you is just an excuse to wish you a happy Tourism Day.
