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Fuerte Hoteles takes part in World Travel Market
Marbella (Málaga), 12th of November 2009
José Luque, the managing director of Fuerte Hoteles, took part in the seminar entitled "Tourism's Responsibility for Climate Change" at the WTM's World Responsable Tourism Day, held during the World Travel Market event in London. The Andalusian hotel chain was the only Spanish company to be invited to this event, mainly due to their commitment to sustainable tourism.
The seminar was sponsored by BBC World News. Its participants included Harold Goodwin, director of the International Centre for Responsible Tourism at the University of Leeds; Jonathon Counsell, British Airways´ Head of Environment; Sue Hurdle, chief executive of the Travel Foundation; Tony Kent, assistant director of Sustainability and Climate Change at PriceWaterhouseCoopers; and Stephen Sackur, the BBC presenter who acted as a moderator.
According to José Luque, some very positive conclusions were reached during the seminar, as "governments, companies and society in general are committed to taking action against climate change". Five percent of all CO2 emissions are generated by tourism-related activities, mainly as a result of emissions by airlines and tourism establishments. According to the director of Fuerte Hoteles, one of the main concerns shared by the speakers is "studying how the tourism industry can reduce greenhouse gases and, more specifically, how to reduce CO2 pollution".
Fuerte Hoteles has been working in the field for more than 50 years. They are a prime example of how a hotel chain is able to provide services in a responsible manner in both emerging and more established destinations. José Luque pointed out that the chain of hotels that he manages was able to reduce emissions of CO2 into the atmosphere by 15.6 percent during 2008. A greater reduction was achieved in 2009 with the implementation of a system of electrical energy that is produced from one hundred percent renewable sources. This process has reduced the carbon footprint of each of the establishments by more than 80 percent.
Fuerte Hoteles encourages the efficient management of waste, performs periodical controls and analyses of energy consumption, and has developed and applied the so-called "ecological footprint calculation".
In terms of caring for the environment, Fuerte Hoteles has achieved a lot. In fact, thanks to their efforts, several of their establishments have been singled out on numerous occasions with the awards of prestigious prizes, such as the "TUI Umwelt Champion", a prize awarded recently to the Fuerte Conil, which has made this hotel the fourth best in the world in terms of environmental management.
Ever since the year of its foundation in 1957, the family-run company Fuerte Hoteles, with its headquarters in Marbella, has run a responsible hotel business. They are always concerned about client and employee satisfaction and keeping their facilities in a good state of repair, as well as promoting innovation, culture and local cuisine. They also strive to give a boost to local economies, reduce their impact on the environment and, of course, they help to develop the most disadvantaged local communities through the Fuerte Foundation.