3. Climate change mitigation

1.1.       Why climate change mitigation in the tourism sector is so important?

Tourism is a constantly growing sector, with the constantly increasing number of tourists travelling around the world. For instance, in 1950 it was around 25 million, while in 2015, the tourism market grew to approximately 1.2 billion people. According to the forecasts of the UN World Tourism Organization, in 2030 this number will increase to approximately 1.8 billion. But tourism growth has a significant effect on the natural environment. Estimations show that 5 percent of the global CO₂ emission can be associated with the tourism branch activity, out of which 20 percent is released by hotels and other accommodation sites [11]. Average power consumption varies, depending on the type of an object (Tab. 1).

Table 1.  Average power consumption vs. emissions of accommodation sites [20]

Type of accommodation	Energy use per guest night (MJ)	Emissions per guest night (kg CO2)
Hotels	130	20.6
Self-catering	120	19.0
Holiday villages	90	14,3
Holiday housing	100	15,9
Campsites	50	7,9
Guesthouses	25	4,0

Climate is a key asset for tourism, thus environmental changes and resulting extreme weather phenomena (e.g. heat waves, heavy rainfalls, typhoons, hurricanes) may have a negative effect on the tourism sector, including hotels. This in turn can even make it impossible to operate [20] (Tab. 2).

Table 2. Negative impact of climate changes on the tourism sector [20]

Weather conditions	Implications for tourism
Higher temperatures	–          – altered seasonality –          – heat stress for tourists –          – higher cooling costs
Increasing frequency and intensity of extreme storms	– risk for tourism facilities – increased insurance costs/loss of insurability – business interruption costs
Reduced precipitation and increased evaporation in some regions	– water shortages – competition over water between tourism and other sectors – risk of wildfires and damage of infrastructure and lower demand
Increased frequency of heavy precipitation in some regions	– altered seasonality – damage to tourism infrastructure
Decreasing snow cover and shrinking glaciers	– shorter winter sports seasons – lack of snow in winter sport destinations – increased snow-making costs
More frequent forest fires	– damage to tourism infrastructure – increased flooding risk

Among the towns that are most vulnerable to environmental changes resulting from climate changes are those located in mountain and seaside regions, and also on islands [20]. One of the examples of the negative effect of weather conditions is the New Honeymoon hotel in Pakistan, located on the bank of the River Swat. On 26 Aug 2022, it was hit by a huge flood wave and collapsed. It all happened due to the eighth monsoon period that caused floods in Pakistan. The Pakistani climate minister, Sheryy Rehman, mentioned climate changes as one of the reasons of that situation [19].

1.2. What can be done at hotels and other accommodation establishments to mitigate the climate changes?

In 2022, the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) issued the Hotel Sustainability Basics. It is a set of sustainability indicators, recognised worldwide, including 12 actions vital for hotel sustainability. These 12 actions cover three major areas: Efficiency, Planet and People. Two of them are relevant in terms of climate changes mitigation: Efficiency and Planet (Fig. 1).

Figure 1. Actions proposed by the WTTC that can help hotels reduce their negative environmental effect and mitigate climate changes [17]

In this area, accommodation establishments should mainly focus on three strategies: saving energy, improving energy efficiency and switching to renewable energy (Fig. 2).

Figure 2. Major strategies for tourist accommodation establishments to mitigate climate changes [own  study]

The first step for hotels to reduce power consumption should be drafting a history of power consumption, focusing on how the energy is used at a given facility and what costs are generated.

Power consumption in the accommodation sector is most frequently related with heating and cooling, specifically central heating, use of refrigerators and freezers, hot water supply, air conditioning and lighting. The following solution should help in reducing the problem:

• Temperature inside the rooms should be kept between 20-25oC (Hilton Seychelles hotel conducted an experiment which has shown that guests approved the temperature of 25oC without any complaints)
• Hotels should be designed taking into account the best possible location (e.g. possibility to plant or keeping already existing greenery around the buildings in tropical or very hot regions, to provide shade and lower temperature inside) and natural ventilation (e.g. through the windows), or insulation, etc.
• Air conditioning and heating systems should be properly located to prevent inefficient use or hot air flow to cooler areas
• Thermostats could be used for heating or cooling systems, which would allow activation just before the arrival of guests
• Air conditioning or heating systems could operate in shifts at lounges
• Filters and coils of HVAC units must be properly maintained (London Marriot County Hall in UK managed to reduce power consumption in hotel rooms by 37% thanks to proper cleaning of air conditioning units)

Restaurants vs. cooling (food storage)

Hotel restaurants may implement some of the listed solutions, and additionally:

• Menu could be modified to offer meals made of local products, which would allow to reduce emissions related with delivery of products from distant places
• Dishes made of ecologically certified products could be considered, as their production has smaller negative impact on the environment
• Reducing meat dishes in the menu is a good practice as their production entails higher emissions than vegetable meals, Climate 2008, p. 173
• Fridge temperature should be set to 4-7oC
• Freezer temperature should be set between -18oC and -15oC
• Space should be left between items kept in the fridge (avoid overfilling) because air flow increases cooling efficiency
• Freezers should be defrosted regularly because built-up ice reduces freezing efficiency
• Condensers, fans and compressors must be checked and cleaned regularly

Showers, pools and laundry

Hotel showers, pools and laundry may generate around 50% of the costs of energy. In order to reduce power consumption in these areas:

• Water temperature setting should not exceed 60^oC (which allows reducing energy needed to heat water)
• Low-flow shower heads could be installed
• Energy saving equipment should be used (e.g. washing machines)
• Solar water heating systems can be used
• Boiler economisers or heat exchangers can be used (YHA Wellington Hostel in New Zealand reduced the costs of hot showers by 50%)
• Hotel pools could use solar water heaters or covers
• Heat pumps could be also used for pools, which would reduce the power consumption to approx. 53%

Lighting

• Hotels should be designed taking into account the best possible use of daylight
• Energy saving lighting should be used, e.g. energy saving bulbs and LED lamps
• Motion sensors could be used in common parts of the hotel and also in hotel rooms to avoid constant use of lighting
• Cards could be considered to let guests turn off light and other equipment when they leave the room [20]

Other actions to be implemented in hotels and other accommodation establishments to mitigate climate changes

• Bus riding to neighbouring ski lifts in the accommodation price (ski resorts) [18]
• Run a hotel bike rental (to reduce individual car transport)
• Encouraging guests or employees to present their ideas on how the hotel can reduce the negative effect on the natural environment (e.g. using a box placed at the reception or on the hotel website)
• Encouraging guests to save water and energy by voluntary resignation from daily hotel service (instead, guests may receive coupons of small value for snacks and beverages to be used in a hotel restaurant) [18]
• Closed pool water cycle
• Encouraging tourists to spend time on site, to reduce carbon footprint
• Organising video conferences (business tourism)
• Implementing an environmental management system as ISO 14001 or EMAS

Using renewable sources of energy is also worth considering. A number of renewable sources of energy can be applied in the tourism sector, including photovoltaics, wind energy, geothermal energy, solar panels, biomass and waste.

Summary Taking action to mitigate climate change is extremely important nowadays, also in the tourism sector. Climate change results in extreme weather conditions that can be very dangerous for the tourism sector, hindering or preventing its activities. Hotels, as an important sub-sector of tourism, should therefore take steps to reduce their negative impact on the natural environment. The activities of hotels should focus primarily on reducing CO2 emissions, which can be achieved by reducing energy consumption, improving energy efficiency, and using renewable energy sources. There are many specific solutions that range from expensive and time-consuming tasks to less complex and financially demanding activities. The starting point for implementing such solutions in a hotel should be a preliminary analysis of energy consumption, areas related to higher energy consumption, and solutions that can be implemented, taking into account the time and financial capabilities of the hotel. Questions for reflection: What are the major strategies for hotels to mitigate climate change? Lİst the efficiency actions proposed by the WTC?