According to Dr. Harold Goodwin discussions about sustainability and sustainable development were increasingly prevalent around the year 2000. The professor emeritus of Manchester Metropolitan University and founding director of the Responsible Tourism Partnership explains why responsible hospitality is crucial for our future.

Defining sustainability

Defining sustainability is inherently challenging. This is primarily because sustainability is an abstract aspiration, incapable of precise definition. First, it is too general; many seek to implement sustainability in ways that often conflict with other sustainability goals.

Sustainability challenges

Additionally, the desire to maintain business as usual leads businesses to make incremental changes rather than substantial steps needed to reduce emissions.

Moreover, there is an assumption that future generations will benefit from cheap technological fixes. This view ignores the fact that future generations will face the problems we leave unresolved. Furthermore, we often overlook Peter Drucker’s maxim: “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.” Therefore, the hospitality industry needs to consider whether an alternative approach exists for managing sustainability effectively.

For instance, conventional economics frequently excludes costs that impact third parties. Consequently, if these costs do not affect the producer or consumer, a gap is created. As a result, this gap separates individual or business gains from the collective losses to the environment and society.

Overtourism 

Overtourism exemplifies what Hardin described as a tragedy: “Each man is locked into a system that compels him to increase his herd without limit.” Consequently, this pursuit of individual interests in a free common ultimately leads to collective ruin. The issue with climate change is that no single business, sector, or national economy can reduce its externalities alone. Thus, if others continue to exploit resources that we deny ourselves, no overall progress will be made.

Recently, Weeva, one of the leading platforms for measuring progress toward reducing resource consumption and waste production was closed. The board of Weeva assessed the broader industry landscape, noting that tourism businesses were not advancing quickly enough in managing sustainability, leading to the platform’s closure. Hence, this failure reflects the hospitality industry’s shortcomings.

Responsible tourism for sustainability

Responsible Tourism emerged at the turn of the century as a response to the shortcomings of sustainability. Many hospitality businesses have had a crash course in the concept of responsibility. It is a battleground where the hospitality industry takes responsibility and strives to improve the world.

Every year, the World Responsible Tourism Awards highlight businesses and destinations that have addressed sustainability challenges affecting themselves or their neighbors. These entities invest time, effort and resources to make impactful changes and they can report on the results of their efforts. Every business can choose to take responsibility or take additional steps in this area.