The Hotel Association of India (HAI) has partnered with the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) to promote sustainable tourism.
The Memorandum of Understanding was signed during the Sustainability Conclave: Life @ 100, which was hosted at Jaquar Group’s LEED platinum-certified premise in Manesar.
As a part of the MoU, GSTC will issue certificates to the HAI members who practice and promote sustainable practices.
Rohit Khosla, Vice President, HAI, and Executive Vice President, Operations, IHCL administered the pledge for Life to all its members. The members pledged their commitment to make their hotels net-zero by 2050, ahead of the country’s net-zero goal by 2070.
Two panel discussions focused on renewable energy and sustainable best practices in the hotel industry.
The panels focused on the importance of energy efficiency, GHG emission reduction, renewable energy, water conservation, and the hospitality sector’s role in sustainability, and circular economy.
Domain experts from the travel and tourism sector also shared best practices and discussed the sustainability roadmap including roadblocks and challenges.
Sustainable hospitality:
The other factor that will propel India toward its net-zero goals is investments in training and resources that enable hotels to advance on their respective journeys of sustainability, according to K.B. Kachru, President, HAI and Chairman, South Asia, Radisson Hotel Group.
In his keynote speech, Suman Billa, Additional Secretary, Tourism, Government of India, emphasized the importance of the industry playing a proactive role in the policy framework, growing responsibly, and setting goals as a group.
In her video speech, Mugdha Sinha, DG of Tourism, Government of India, discussed the circular economy, green tourism, green energy, building capacity, and the necessity of comprehensive infrastructure planning aligned with nature. She emphasized how crucial it is for business and government to work together closely and in concert.
Dr. Amandeep Garg, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Environment Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) highlighted the significance of sustainable tourism.