“It is time to rethink tourism to include environmental criteria”

One more year, like every September 27, we celebrate World Tourism Day. A date to publicize the social, cultural, political and economic value of the sector. Precisely, in this edition, marked by the clear recovery, the World Tourism Organization launches a clear message: it is time to rethink tourism.

This task of reconsidering, of reconsidering, in short, of rebuilding, is more than justified by the data that, although they are increasingly positive and hopeful, do nothing more than remind us that we must “put our shoulders to the wheel” and get “hands on the work” to consolidate this path of growth that we are experiencing.

We must not forget that while in 2019 tourism accounted for 12.4% of Spain’s GDP, in 2020 this percentage plummeted below 5%. It is true that, in 2021, the total contribution of the tourism sector to the Spanish GDP was close to 88,000 million euros, which represents, in relative values, a contribution of approximately 7.4%.

Overcoming the pre-pandemic data must therefore be our goal. In a context of instability such as the one we find ourselves in, it is necessary to take another step forward and strengthen our resilience.

For this reason, it is time to rethink tourism and promote its transformation in order to achieve a more sustainable, inclusive and resilient sector, a sector that contributes to development through education and job creation.

It is essential, as I said, to promote its modernization. That is, evolve and innovate. Digitization plays a key role in meeting the challenges of the future, favoring the efficient development of companies and reducing their environmental impact.

Technology has ceased to be an option and has become a necessity, thus establishing itself as the perfect ally to guarantee operational excellence and improve the customer and employee experience.

Fortunately, we observe a greater awareness and demand for sustainability on the part of society in general (71% of customers say they want to travel responsibly), and especially among young people, who increasingly value and prioritize experiences that generate a positive impact on the environment and on the communities of the host destinations.

Having, therefore, the vision of young people, as potential tourists and employees, is key to focusing on the path we must follow. In addition, in response to this new paradigm, companies have a direct influence on society, the planet and economic development, and we must assume our commitment to raise awareness among all our stakeholders, both customers, suppliers and the local community, as well as training employees in these new ways of doing and understanding tourism.

We are facing a future with great challenges and, given this, each and every one of the actors involved in the sector must be prepared to face them with optimism and enthusiasm.

Furthermore, we should have a common purpose. And this is none other than incorporating environmental, social and good governance criteria – ESG – in all corporate decisions and project development, with the aim of making the tourism industry a benchmark sector in the field of sustainability.

On the other hand, tourism, due to its activity, implies absolute respect for the surroundings and devotion to people. In this regard, we must not forget that our prosperity is directly related to the prosperity of the destinations where we operate.

Therefore, it is of paramount importance that we support local communities, preserving their essence and their culture; making responsible use of resources. Only in this way will we be able to offer customers an excellent service.

In short, today, on World Tourism Day, we urge you to rethink together the shared responsibility that we have to boost the competitiveness of the sector and build together the Tourism that we want.