SAN JOSÉ, COSTA RICA—The international consulting firm Bloom Consulting recently conducted a comprehensive study analyzing millions of online searches. The results of the comprehensive investigation identified four key areas where Costa Rica leads as a global benchmark for value-added sustainability. According to the study, Costa Rica ranks number one in the world for online searches related to ecotourism; third in the world and first in Latin America for national parks; fourth in the world and first in Latin America for surfing; fifth in the world and first in Latin America for diving; seventh in the world and second in Latin America for bird watching; and eighth in the world and third in Latin America for...

PARIS—HRS, the leading global corporate lodging platform, announced the addition of Accor properties, a world leading hospitality group, in HRS’ new Green Stay Initiative. This decision provides analytical and time-saving benefits to corporate hotel procurement executives as they increasingly require sustainability data as they consider which properties to include on their list of preferred hotels for 2022 and beyond. “The world’s leading multi-national companies are promoting their aspirations to achieve net-zero operations by 2030 or sooner. These company-wide goals impact managed travel programs, who are tasked to travel more sustainably as they recover from the pandemic,” said HRS CEO Tobias Ragge. “Dozens of...

INTERNATIONAL REPORT—Barceló Hotel Group, Meliá Hotels International, NH Hotel Group, Radisson Hotel Group, and other leading groups with 25,000 hotels total, have launched an initiative to set common definition of hotel sustainability to drive responsible travel and tourism. In a unique cooperation between the World Travel & Tourism Council, the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance and leading hotel companies, in consultation with distribution partners and key tourism and travel stakeholders, the hotel industry celebrates a responsible return to business with an initiative to raise the global basic level of hotel sustainability in a clear and transparent manner for all travelers and stakeholders. The...

SAN FRANCISCO—National nonpartisan business group E2 (Environmental Entrepreneurs) and sustainability-driven hotel brand 1 Hotels announced the 2021 1 Hotels Fellowship class at E2 recently as Climate Week NYC and National Clean Energy Week hit into high gear. This is the fourth year of the annual fellowship, which awards six young business leaders $20,000 each to execute projects that advance sustainability and clean energy and environmental policies in America. This year’s projects include a workforce training program for the transition to a zero-carbon economy, development of a bilingual clean energy curriculum to educate small business owners in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas and creation...

SAN LUIS OBISPO, CALIF.—San Luis Obispo (SLO), a city on the Central Coast of California, is the first U.S. destination to launch an urban reforestation sustainability initiative funded by local hotels. Through the new Keys for Trees program, part of the City’s Climate Action Plan, the San Luis Obispo Tourism Business Improvement District will dedicate 1 percent of annual revenue to planting 10,000 trees throughout the community by 2035. The program is part of a partnership with the Environmental Center of San Luis Obispo (EcoSLO), a nonprofit dedicated to protecting SLO’s natural assets. This initiative gives travelers a unique opportunity to offset the impact of their visit and, subsequently,...

ATLANTA, GA.—AAHOA, the nation’s largest hotel owners association, announced the state-by-state economic impact results of the study conducted this year in partnership with Oxford Economics, an international leader in global forecasting and quantitative analysis. The initial report, unveiled at the 2021 AAHOA Convention & Trade Show in Dallas, Texas, revealed that the association’s nearly 20,000 hoteliers own 34,260 hotel properties, which account for 60 percent of the hotels in the United States. These properties have 3.1 million guestrooms and account for 2.2 million direct-impact jobs. The state-level reports highlight key data points such as the annual economic impact that AAHOA...

BROOMFIELD, COLO.—With this year’s winter season officially underway, skiers and snowboarders have another reason to celebrate: Vail Resorts’ 34 North American mountains have reached 85 percent renewable electricity—one big step closer to a zero net operating footprint by 2030. Through its operations, as well as by promoting collective participation, Vail Resorts is prioritizing efforts to mitigate the impacts of climate change. Now released, Vail Resorts’ 2020/21 EpicPromise Progress Report tracks the company’s commitment to preserving the environment, addressing the most urgent needs of mountain communities, and supporting employees. Major achievements over the past year include: Vail Resorts is on track to reach...

CLEARWATER, FLA.—The International Institute of Modern Butlers has launched a website dedicated to educating all citizens of all countries on their Human Rights as given in the United Nation's 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). This initiative was taken after it was determined that literally nobody in the world, when surveyed, even knew they had rights, let alone what those 30 rights are. This was relevant to the Institute in particular, and the hotel industry in general, because both have been knocked sideways by the governmental responses to Covid-19, with hotel closures littering the landscape, reduced occupancy being mirrored by reduced...

MCLEAN, VA.—There is no doubt that the pandemic modified travel—but that’s just part of the story. Hilton released a global trends report unpacking how the pandemic changed people. “The 2022 Traveler: Emerging Trends and the Redefined Traveler, a Report from Hilton” dives into an important truth: in two years, people’s lives were dramatically altered and that radically changed people. As a company that has welcomed 3 billion guests in its more than 100-year history, Hilton showcases within the report how it is evolving alongside the changing traveler, tackling areas of expertise such as: Fitness: How app workouts and new fitness routines have changed...

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND—A new coalition will accelerate tourism’s transition to net zero, audiences at COP26 heard this week. Ministers from major tourism destinations and leaders from international organizations have voiced their support to achieve a sustainable travel and tourism industry, through the Sustainable Tourism Global Center (STGC). The STGC is a multi-country, multi-stakeholder coalition established to lead, accelerate, and track the tourism industry’s transition to net-zero emissions, as well as drive action to protect nature and support communities. The tourism industry is highly fragmented, with developing countries and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) being most reliant on tourism for their economies. More than 40 million...