WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Center for Responsible Travel (CREST) released The Case for Responsible Travel: Trends & Statistics 2018, which includes an in-depth look at the complex issue of overtourism and the role of responsible travel in developing solutions. The new CREST report considers overtourism trends in five distinct types of destinations and concludes that the principles of responsible travel and visitor education provide a vital framework for effectively addressing the issue. It also highlights growing consumer demand for authentic and meaningful travel experiences and analyzes the role of tourism businesses in mainstreaming responsible travel. Trends & Statistics 2018 updates CREST’s previous industry...

MALOLO ISLAND, FIJI—The annual Hotel Investment Conference Asia Pacific (HICAP) has announced the winners for the HICAP 2018 Sustainable Hotel Awards and Six Senses Fiji has taken the title in the Climate Action Category. The awards are designed to recognize hotels in the Asia Pacific region, creating innovative new methods, strategies and technologies to face today’s sustainable development challenge, while providing tangible examples of sustainable best practices that can be replicated and adapted across the region. For climate efforts, Six Senses Fiji is honored to have been awarded top spot for a range of initiatives that are practiced within the resort....

PHILADELPHIA—Hersha Hotels and Resorts announced that EarthView, their corporate social responsibility platform, will be providing support to the Waterboys program—the hallmark initiative of the Chris Long Foundation. Hersha will donate $1 from the sale of each EarthView water bottle that is purchased at their hotels towards the funding of wells in East Africa. Launched in 2015 by Philadelphia Eagles’ Chris Long, Waterboys unites NFL players from across the league in service. The charity provides underserved rural communities in emerging economies with clean, safe and sustainable water per well by drilling wells serving up to 7,500 people at a cost of...

NATIONAL REPORT—Non-organic Cotton linen is standard in hotels today but their environmental impact—from the cotton field to the guestroom—is significant. According to Anna Sova, a provider of luxury organic cotton linen, conventional cotton makes up only 3 percent of the world’s crops but uses 25 percent of the world’s pesticides annually. Every pound of cotton grown has been treated with one-third pound of pesticides. Pesticide residues often can remain in the fabric through the processing and finishing stages of the garment. It is not just the pesticides that pose an environmental and health risk—especially for those workers applying it—it is...

NEW ORLEANS—The New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center continues to lead the way into a green future with their award-winning Sustainability Program, which aims to improve the environment through innovations in the use of energy conservation techniques, renewable energy, and more. The Convention Center continues to follow through on its commitment to being a sustainability champion through collaborative efforts with like-minded community partners. Beginning in 2010, the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center’s sustainability program continues to be a model of excellence for the steps taken to reduce the building’s impact on the environment. The Convention Center recently...

MCLEAN, VA.—Hilton announced an initial investment of $1 million to drive sustainable travel and tourism in Africa. To do so, the company will focus on five key areas—Hilton’s Big Five: Youth Opportunity: investing in training and apprenticeship programs to build a strong talent pipeline and tackle identified challenges for youth, including underemployment; Water Stewardship: the expansion of existing partnerships and the creation of new alliances to help Hilton achieve its goal to reduce its water consumption by 50 percent and activate 20 context-based water projects in at-risk communities by 2030; Anti-Human Trafficking: the provision of training and auditing to...

DALTON, GA.—The Home Depot  honored Shaw Industries with its Environmental Partner of the Year Award at its annual supplier partnership meeting on October 2. “The spaces where we live, work, play, learn and heal have a huge impact on our lives,” said Susan Farris, Vice President of Sustainability and Corporate Communications at Shaw Industries. “That’s why we’re committed to using safe ingredients and designing sustainable products. Our commitment to Cradle to Cradle design principles for the past 20 years is evidence of that.” Today, almost 90 percent of the products Shaw manufactures are Cradle to Cradle Certified, a robust third-party certification...

INCHEON, REPUBLIC OF KOREA—Limiting global warming to 1.5ºC would require rapid, far reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said in a new assessment. With clear benefits to people and natural ecosystems, limiting global warming to 1.5ºC compared to 2ºC could go hand in hand with ensuring a more sustainable and equitable society, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said on Monday. The Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5ºC was approved by the IPCC on Saturday in Incheon, Republic of Korea. It will be a key scientific input into...

LAAMU, MALDIVES—Sustainable shrimp is a very elusive catch. That was a significant element of a message from Callum Roberts, Professor of Marine Conservation at the University of York, on his recent visit to Six Senses Laamu where he discussed sustainable fisheries management in Laamu Atoll. “They look innocuous and taste great, but shrimp and prawns are sadly some of the most environmentally-damaging seafoods you can eat,” says Professor Roberts. “Bottom trawling with fine mesh nets for wild prawns causes habitat destruction and enormous losses of non-target species, many of which are threatened. In a worst case, prawn farms can destroy...

SHANGHAI, CHINA—Architecturally, and from a sustainability standpoint, the 337-room InterContinental Shanghai Wonderland, set to open this month, is one of the most unique hotels in the world. Built into the side of the abandoned Shenkeng Quarry in Songjiang, about 22 miles outside of Shanghai, the hotel will create its own power—including heat and lighting—through geothermal and solar energy. The roof is covered with greenery. Water runs throughout the structure. A waterfall, built into the center of the hotel, pours into the pool at the bottom of the quarry. The two bottommost floors are built completely underwater. Every room in the hotel—aside...