Celebrating its 25th anniversary, the International Tourism Partnership (ITP) announced four Goals agreed upon by leading global hotel groups, uniting the hotel industry for a sustainable future.
Picture: ITP Twitter page
The agreed Goals focus on carbon, water, youth employment and human rights, and are aligned by a focus on the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also called the Global Goals. In addition, they mark the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, the year that highlights industry cooperation in tackling issues and the sharing of best practices.
The four Goals are developed around the core sustainability issues that affect responsible hospitality providers on a global scale. The Goals therefore serve as a strong call to action and act as the key reference point to drive progress towards sustainability in the hospitality industry. The alliance of ITP and the world’s most prevailing hotel companies responsible for over 25,000 hotels, has a single ambition: to lead through example with clear and quantifiable commitments to sustainability.
The central parts of the ITP Goals include:
Youth employment, with a goal to collectively impact one million youths through employability programmes by 2030. This goal subsequently doubles the industry’s current impact on youth unemployment.
Carbon, with a focus on embracing science-based targets and encouraging the wider industry to participate in reducing emissions at scale.
Water, addressing the issue by embedding water stewardship programmes in order to reduce the number of people affected by water scarcity. It also focuses on improving water-use efficiency and on identifying ways to address the issue of water scarcity.
Human rights, concentrating on raising awareness of risks connected with human rights and addressing risks arising in the labour supply chain and during the construction of hotels. In addition, the goal has a focus on embedding human rights into corporate governance.
Dr Taleb Rifai, Secretary General of the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) said in a written endorsement: “For 25 years the hotel industry under ITP’s leadership has advanced sustainable tourism; developing tools and resources for hotels and lodgings around the world, sharing knowledge and working together for a more responsible future. ITP’s Goals are the next step to ensure continued sustainable development in our sector, setting clear aims for 2030, and bringing the hotel sector together to align with the Global Goals.”
Wolfgang M. Neumann, ITP Governing Council Chair and industry thought-leader, commented: “We have agreed on a total of four core Goals, with two addressing environmental issues (climate and water), and two supporting the people who work in the hotel industry and its supply chain. This even balance between planet and people reflects the passions and dedication of ITP members to make a real and lasting difference to a broad range of issues against which commitments can be agreed."
“ITP believes that the hotel industry can be a force for good and make a positive contribution to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and to the COP21 climate agreements. Our vision for 2030 is for sustainable growth and a fairer future for all. We understand that bigger impacts can be achieved faster through the industry working together at scale; for this reason we invite other hotel companies to join with us in our commitment to these four critical goals.”, Neumann continued.
For more information on ITP and the Four Goals, visit the International Tourism Partnership website.
Source: ITP Press Release