Ana Perez Montero, National Operator of Green Key in Spain attended Fitur 2016, one of the most famous tourism fairs worldwide held in Madrid in January.
The Spanish Hotel Technology Institute, together with UNWTO yearly organises conferences and roundtables for stakeholders under the name FiturGreen. This year the theme of FiturGreen was "Renewing Tourism" and the main issue was sustainable tourism. It is interesting to remember that 2017 will be the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development.
A very interesting European project for hotels was presented: “Nearly Zero Energy Hotels” with hotels participating all over Europe, from rural to urban hotels with different energy saving strategies. The project states that hotels may reduce up to 70% of their energy consumption. One of the actions that some hotels have taken to reduce energy consumption is removing minibars in rooms. More information about the project can be found at: www.nezeh.eu.
Future Green Key criteria might recommend such initiatives as well as further recognising awarded establishments using at least a percentage of renewable energy.
Some interesting examples on how hoteliers can collaborate with public entities in sustainability issues were shown during the event, especially those located near protected areas that also consider that a well protected environment is an attraction for visitors.