As travellers become increasingly eco-aware, the Middle East’s travel trade needs to cater to their green needs, says Gemma Greenwood.
With so much editorial space dedicated to climate change and its impact, you would think that most of the region’s travel and tourism related businesses, would, by now, have started thinking about their green footprint.
If the industry doesn’t take steps to protect the environment, where on.
Indeed, many airlines and hotel groups have implemented policies to minimise their impact on their environment, but how many tour operators and travel agents operating in this region can say the same thing?
Around six months back, ATN decided to test whether or not travel agencies were geared up to dealing with ‘green’ requests from clients.
In our regular ‘Going Nowhere’ section – our version of a mystery shopper, which tests a travel agency’s product knowledge and customer service – we asked if it was possible to offset our carbon emissions when booking a flight to Australia.
We assumed that most people – particularly those working in the travel profession – would have at least heard of this terminology, but apparently not.
The travel agent in questions just did not get it – he thought we wanted to take a carbon machine on board the aircraft and even when it was explained exactly what carbon offsetting meant, he did not understand – and neither did his colleagues when asked.
This was no small agency, and it was one that deals with big corporate clients – the kind with global headquarters that deal with agencies in more mature markets who do offer carbon offsetting and expect this service to be offered.
Corporates are increasingly expanding their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) policies and will include clauses that when booking business travel, their employees must minimise their carbon footprint wherever possible.
These forward-thinking companies will only deal with a travel agency or Travel Management Company (TMC) that can fulfill their CSR needs.
But how many agencies or TMCs in this region have considered this?
I know Dnata Agencies has – following ATN’s ‘Going Nowhere’ the company told me it was spurred into action. I do hope other agencies did the same.
DMCs, PCOs and hotels offering meetings and events venues should also take heed – research revealed last month by GIBTM organiser Reed Travel Exhibitions found that 55% of meetings industry buyers surveyed said CSR and environmental issues were ‘somewhat influential’ when organising an event, with 24% saying it was ‘extremely influential’ and only 3% claiming it was not relevant.
“As the region with the largest environmental footprint per capita of anywhere in the world according to the Worldwide Fund for Nature, this could prove a serious constraint to growth in the future if issues of recycling, wastage, emissions, environmental impact from construction, reliance on desalination and the working conditions of the multi-national workforce are not addressed,” stressed Sally Greenhill, director of UK-based The Right Solution Ltd, which helped compile research results.
But it’s not just corporate travel to which this applies; clued-up leisure travellers are also becoming increasingly aware of their impact on the environment, with the more discerning traveller prepared to pay a premium to stay at a true ‘eco-friendly’ resort.
With the region’s outbound market booming, tour operators and travel agents need to be prepared for ‘green requests’.
They need to improve their knowledge of green issues and offer green options.
Emirates Holidays has already started to lead the way.
Divisional senior vice president John Felix has revealed that all staff are taking time to boost their knowledge of green issues pertaining to the travel industry and has said that once that knowledge is sufficient, it will be passed on to the consumer.
The process will involve visiting ‘green’ hotels to ensure they are what they say they are before recommending them to clients and in the future we could see Emirates Holidays brochures with ‘green’ icons besides hotels deemed environmentally-friendly.
Fortunately for Emirates Holidays, its sister company, Emirates Hotels & Resorts is already proficient in developing resorts that actually enhance and preserve the environment they inhabit.
Dubai’s Al Maha has led the way and the company’s forthcoming resorts in Australia and the Seychelles – Wolgan Valley and Cap Ternay respectively – will follow suit.
The message to the industry is ‘be prepared’. Review your own CSR policies and be aware that your clients are probably further ahead with theirs and will demand products and services that adhere to them.
And don’t forget – if the industry doesn’t take steps to protect the environment, where on Earth will you send your clients on holiday?
Gemma Greenwood is the senior group editor of ITP Business’ travel and hospitality magazines.
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