You can still care about climate change, reduce your carbon footprint AND fulfill your dreams of an island wedding. In participation of Blog Action Day 2009, this post discusses sustainable tourism and what Weddings By Oceans and our partners are doing to combat climate change.

Although much of the tourism-related emissions fall to aviation & motor vehicle use, many hotels visited by Canadian tourists in the Caribbean and Mexico also contribute a significant portion of the tourism industry’s carbon footprint through consumption of electricity and other energy forms.

Thankfully, many initiatives are being made by local governments and our industry suppliers to develop a better understanding of all contributions to greenhouse gas emissions and what can be done to reduce them. Some innovations to help offset carbon emissions that Weddings By Oceans hotel partners are implementing include:

• Purchasing recycled or ecological paper products
• Using eco-friendly cleansers and detergents
• Saving water in hotel rooms & reusing chemical-free water from laundry for gardens
• Detecting and repairing drips and leaks in rooms
• Installing solar panels for power
• Reducing energy waste by installing heating/air conditioning sensors in rooms
• Using low consumption light bulbs in hotels
• Asking guests to reuse towels and bedding to save on water

Here is what some of our hotel partners say about climate change:

El Dorado Spa Resorts & Hotels by Karisma:

“As a destination priding itself on beautiful surroundings, El Dorado Spa Resorts & Hotels is taking the necessary steps to ensure a balance between supporting the tourism industry and preserving the extraordinary natural environment of the Riviera Maya,” said Mandy Chomat, vice president of sales and marketing for Premier Worldwide Marketing, the exclusive worldwide representatives for El Dorado Spa Resorts & Hotels by Karisma. “With the implementation of Pasión por el Medio Ambiente, we are extending the Gourmet Inclusive philosophy to include environment consciousness. We strive to foster togetherness between tourism and our ecosystem by encouraging our guests and staff to make environmentally-sound decisions that support the initiatives set by MARTI.”

The Mesoamerican Reef Tourism Initiative (MARTI) has inspired the program, “Passion for the Environment,” which is designed to encourage guest and staff participation in environmentally sustainable practices. With its commencement, El Dorado Spa Resorts & Hotels sets the standard for environmentally-conscious tourism in Riviera Maya, encouraging other area resorts and hotels to do the same.

Other large hotel chains are paying attention as well:

RIU Hotels & Resorts

“At RIU Hotels, we have always had our guests’ total satisfaction as a maxim, since that is the basis of our business success. We firmly believe that our company’s solidity is essential in establishing long-term projects and deep commitments to the environment and communities in which our activities take place.” http://www.riu.com/en-ca/Acerca_de_RIU/medio_ambiente/index.jsp

Huatulco, Mexico hotels

In September 2009, Seven of Barceló Hotels & Resorts’ all-inclusive properties in Mexico have achieved the distinguished Certified Gold or Silver status from Green Globe, the prestigious benchmarking program for sustainability in travel and tourism. This internationally recognized program, which is administered by the worldwide advisory group EC3 Global, certifies that these resorts are committed to operating at the world’s highest environmental standards. Moreover, the hotelier’s ability to obtain such an achievement at seven distinct hotels demonstrates a company-wide dedication to preserving these leading destinations for generations of travelers to come. (Source: HospitalityNet.org)

Cathy Parsons, Chief Executive Officer of GGAP International, says, “I am delighted that Huatulco has achieved Benchmarked status. Huatulco is an inspiration to all those people committed to environmentally sustainable tourism. They have demonstrated through a variety of initiatives, that the destination can make a difference to reducing their environmental impact. The commitment they have shown in signing up to participate in the Green Globe program and their achievements set an example for other businesses to follow.”

Everybody can do their part to reduce their contribution to global warming.

Travellers who wish to offset their carbon gas emissions can do so by dealing with credible organizations that promote effective projects. Here are just a few of them:

• Signature Vacations donates $5 US to The City of Joy Foundation for every client staying in one of five Real Resorts & Hotels, a founding and supporting member of the foundation.
• SkyService Airline has a “SAFE” program in place to reduce fuel consumption CO2 emissions.
• “Transat recognizes that the environment, the communities that host travellers, cultural diversity and our relations with our employees, customers and partners are of great importance for the future and for Transat. We are aware of the benefits that tourism generates. We are just as aware that it can have potentially detrimental effects. We, along with our employees and partners, are endeavouring to limit these and are doing our best to maximize the positive aspects of tourism. We are striving to find the right balance between economic, social and environmental factors.” (Adopted by Transat’s Board of Directors on June 11, 2008).

Here are a few tips from Transat’s, “Responsible Tourist, Sustainable Tourism”:

1. Be prepared. By bringing only what you need to enjoy a relaxing holiday, you will be supporting airline companies’ efforts to lighten their loads, save fuel and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Even better, by discarding non-essentials (like wrapping and plastics) before you leave, you’ll be helping to protect the environment in your host country.
2. Protect resources. Water, electricity, gas and other forms of energy are scarce and precious resources for people in many countries. Use them sparingly: for instance, shower instead of taking a bath to save water; instruct personnel not to change bed sheets and towels every day so as to save energy; turn off lights and air conditioners when not in use; use public transportation or rent a fuel-efficient vehicle.
3. Safeguard the environment. The sea, beaches, coral reefs, exotic fish and animals, indigenous plants and trees… natural surroundings were probably a major factor in your choice of destination. These surroundings are a treasure to be preserved for the benefit of the local population and future visitors. Do not encourage any action that exploits these natural resources-for instance, the sale of souvenirs made from endangered animal or plant species. Your holiday environment is precious: treat it with care.

Doing our part here at Weddings By Oceans:

• In the upcoming weeks, Weddings By Oceans will be providing an customizable electronic invitation for you to email to your guests. Rather than printing and mailing invitations, why not consider sending the information via email when possible? Stay tuned as we’ll be sharing this exciting, environmentally-friendly feature in an upcoming post for your convenience and also uploading it to our website.
• Our invoices are now electronic, and in most cases tickets/documents for your trip will be delivered by email.
• We focus solely on group bookings so that everyone in a destination wedding is on one flight.

We hope you enjoyed this post. Have you additional ideas for sustainable tourism? Please share them in the comments below!

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