Name: Danson Matekwa Imbwaga
Age: 23
Country: Kenya
Tourism and Climate Change
“Global warming is the defining challenge of our age. Not “of the decade” or even “our life.” And not any mere challenge of our age — but the one that defines us.”
Climate is a key resource for tourism and the sector is highly sensitive to the impacts of climate change and global warming, many elements of which are already being felt. Tourism is estimated to be responsible for 5% of global CO2 emissions. Threats for the sector are diverse, including direct and indirect impacts such as more extreme weather events, increasing insurance costs and safety concerns, water shortages, biodiversity loss and damage to assets and attractions at destinations, among others. Globally - all major coral reefs are expected to be severely degraded by 2050 and 32% risk die-off by 2050.
Photo credit: Africa Wildlife Foundation
Tourism development has grabbed the attention of policy makers and politicians in Africa in the quest to achieve greater economic development through employment creation and catalyzing other related industries such as agriculture. With tourism growth as an almost certainty, its share of environmental pollution will increase. Climate change remains a threat towards sustainability of the tourism sector in the continent. Particular issues of concern include negative environmental impacts on destinations, that affect the quality of life for the host community.
Climate-change impacts that affect tourism in African countries include: beach erosion, saline intrusion, droughts, flash floods and landslides, coral-reef bleaching, less productive fisheries and agricultural systems, changes in the preferences of tourists, etc. Today, new tourist centers and cities are planned to make them more environmentally friendly and sustainable.
Kenya is facing climate change induced challenges, such as variation in weather patterns, unpredictable water levels in lakes and rivers, frequent and prolonged droughts and flash floods.
Women fetch water from depleted Mara River Photo credit: Kiplagat, Standar
The country’s wildlife and other tourist attractions, which are major contributors to the nation’s economy, are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. For example, flash floods associated with El Niño rains and their impact on infrastructure especially in Masai Mara and Lake Nakuru; prolonged droughts in major national parks; the shifts in wildebeest migration in response to rain fall patterns; and melting of snow caps on Mount Kenya due to increases in temperature.
With tourism contributing to9.7% of GDP and 9% of total employment in the country in 2018, it is imperative for swift and tangible action to address the climate change challenge to avoid major losses. For the sustenance and further development of tourism, it is important that climate change is address holistically through favourable policies for mitigation and adaptation action on the ground.
“Eco-consciousness is on the rise in the hospitality industry. Guests are looking for sustainable and authentic experiences and luxury hotels are going green as millennials demand sustainable travel options. ”
Among the world’s current pertinent concerns is the issue of sustainability. The hospitality industry has certainly not been left behind in the quest for improved environmental and social impact, while maintaining profit. Sustainability enhances establishments’ operations and development which in turn impacts on environmental, economic and social aspects. For sustainability to be realized, the above named must be harmonized.
The environment is perhaps the single most important tool for the hotel industry by producing majority of resources needed while also acting as a ‘sink’ for waste generated. Energy is needed in hotels for power needs, as a source of fuel, for lighting among other needs. Water is needed in the bathrooms, for cooking, cleaning among others. A few sceptics have equated the idea of green operation as being expensive and hardly noticeable by guests. On the contrary, green operations have been proved to be of great importance to many hotel establishments.
Cost saving is the most spoken benefit of eco-labels. The goal of any hotel is to make profits at the end of the day. The policy of re-use, reduce and recycle has been warmly welcomed and adapted by many hoteliers which, combined with other practices, continue increasing their net profits. Cost reduction can be achieved by investing in different environmentally friendly technologies.
In the recent past, many governments have been enacting a number of regulatory laws which are to be implemented by the hotel industry. Such enactments are to address issues such as waste management, cooperate social responsibility, environmental health and safety among others. However, being a member of an eco-label helps to adhere to such regulatory measures, which helps in smooth running of a hotel’s operations.
Modern and well-informed hoteliers clearly understand that customer satisfaction is essential for their retention and loyalty. Currently, more than ever in the hotel industry, customers are not just looking for hotels, they want a home like environment. Hotels capable of providing green operations have been attracting increasing number of customers, increasing their operations.
Eco-labels help in improving a hotel’s brand image. Constant mentions on different platforms including websites, newspapers etc. helps in not only marketing of the hotel, but also retaining customers, with most millenials preferring to work in environmentally friendly environments.
Sustainability and eco-labeling is now a defining issue for the hotel industry. Rising populations and increasingly scarce resources will provide a challenging business environment in which sustainability will need to be embedded within all facets of the industry, rather than regarded as a standalone issue.