Rethinking Resilience
Living in uncertainty describes our present and future reality. Since the beginning of 2020, the travel industry has been forced to a full or partial halt in business as COVID-19 spread worldwide with no end yet in sight. The data on tourism losses changes as fast as it spreads and with the pandemic continuing into the summer with projected second and third waves into the autumn, we will most likely surpass the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) global loss projection of 75 million jobs and $2.1 trillion in revenue. And according to a May forecast by OpenTable, one in every four U.S. restaurants will go out of business due to the coronavirus quarantines that have battered the food-service industry and we have yet to take the toll on hotels worldwide.
Economists have said that society’s blinkered approach to the future risk of disease provides a lesson for our failure to address the potentially bigger catastrophic effects of climate emergencies and biodiversity crisis, the environmental devastation and loss of species 1000 times their natural rate, more virus pandemics, and the lack of trust and widening inequality. They are ringing the loudest warning bells to these massive interconnected threats caused by human behaviour and our enormous vulnerability, making it ever clearer what’s at stake and what’s needed to build more resilience in the future.
The lesson to be learned is that there is no bargaining with Nature or compromising with the laws of science. The climate crisis doesn’t start when our planet is at 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, it’s already here. Risks are everywhere and no company is immune to the loss of reputation and financial repercussions. The so called ‘Green Recovery Plan’ to be adopted to restart the economy is nowhere near ambitious enough. Globally in many industries, company owners and operators can either be part of the problem or part of the solution. The growing importance of sustainability as a survival strategy is now ingrained and is seen as a key business driver and risk mitigation.
Lagging behind in seriously “walking the talk” is the travel industry. The hotel sector is part of the problem as long as CSR (corporate social responsibility) and sustainability is voluntary and self-regulating, lack governance, accountability and transparency, and is game for creative marketing spin. Many had excuses on why rigorous sustainability is not a priority and Covid-19 became the latest one.
Those that choose to be part of the solution are beacons of businesses with purpose, led by brave and conscious owners and operators who believe ‘it is the right thing to do’. They are invited to join the NOW Forces for Good Alliance to make it easier to be sustainable, action an accredited programme with independent audits and raise the bar on accountability and transparency. They inspire stakeholder trust because they understand that to be truly sustainable, they must take total responsibility for their impacts and the travel experiences offered to guests must help solve societal and environmental problems.
Sustainability is about the wellbeing of our world and it is touching every aspect of our lives and should be the cornerstone of a hotel’s Recovery & Resilience Plan to amplify our efforts to reach scale at speed. It is now in the global spotlight with many investors showing confidence that sustainable business practices contribute tangible bottom-line value and this shift is starting to push business leaders in taking a closer look at the inner workings of their operations and supply chain. Stakeholders – customers, employees, media, travel operators, suppliers and investors - are recognizing the need for better businesses that think beyond profits and the need to contribute to society for our survival and a better world.
Consumers will re-enter the travel market with caution. Wherever people go, there is sure to be a greater sense of identity and empowerment to support brands that align with our values, an importance placed on corporate ethics and the need to feel respected, a redefined wellbeing to include the whole human biosphere, and a greater appreciation for experience over things, the value of human connection and nature, and the demand for action. It must be NOW!
What do conscious travellers want today?
Difficult times call for difficult questions and uncomfortable conversations.
We are living at a time when intersecting crises and threats are reaching tipping points at a global scale, with climate destabilization, environmental degradation, veiled levels of inequality, as well as soaring public health risks, conflicts, populism and economic uncertainties.
Covid-19 is both an urgent warning and galvanizing moment. The enforced pause in tourism has been devastating as it surges and declines, but it may be the interruption needed for nature to have some breathing space and for us to ask ourselves some difficult questions. ‘It takes darkness to see the stars’ and the traumatic respite, hardships and loss must serve a purpose and must unleash the capacity of each person and company in tourism to become a life-affirming change envoy that restores, vitalizes and be worthy of consumer trust. The negative business-as-usual suicidal path that extracts and exploits must stop.
Globally, the growing importance of sustainability is now ingrained in the strategies of many industries and seen as a key business driver and risk mitigation. But, lagging behind in seriously “walking the talk” is the fragmented travel industry. In the hotel sector over the past few decades, more Hotel Owners and Operators fixated on sustainability, not for people and planet or because it is ‘the right thing to do’, but for cost savings, economic incentives, regulatory affairs and corporate brand image. And there are a few inspiring Owners and Operators, individuals with purpose and heart who truly stands out and they are taking responsibility for their total impact on communities and the environment with accountability and transparency.
In a refreshingly honest dialogue void of spin, Regional VP and GM, Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru – Armando Kraenzlin, and Environment Coordinator – Faisal Ibrahim – were recently interviewed by sustainability journalist and writer Juliet Kinsman. Many journalists from the UK and countries around the world joined for a ‘deeper dive’ uncomfortable conversation focused on sustainability.
For 20 years, Armando Kraenzlin’s deep commitment to sustainability from an environmental, cultural and social standpoint has helped pioneer many of the Maldives’ most notable initiatives to date: the country’s first TVET-recognised Apprenticeship Program (with 600 graduates since 2002): the first Turtle Rehabilitation Centre, now 10 years old with close to 300 admissions so far; the first coral reef-scaping project in 2001, a project that has boosted the natural reefs around Four Seasons’ two Maldivian resort islands with more than 5,000 transplanted reef structures and inspired a country-wide program of coral reef-scaping.
On-site water bottling plants, Parley-linked community recycling programs, solar energy installations, health initiatives, community outreach projects, nationwide community-focused sports “…the growing importance of sustainability is now ingrained in the strategies of many industries… but, lagging behind in seriously “walking the talk” is the fragmented travel industry…!” events and support for the Maldives’ last remaining lacquerware producers are just a few of the other ‘day-to-day’ initiatives that he spearheads.
The ripple effects spread outwards from the Resorts through guest-focused activities designed to transform people’s own sense of connection to the world around them: from days spent researching manta rays to coral reef transplanting, Junior Marine Savers experiences to wildlife monitoring dives. The team at Four Seasons Resorts Maldives is committed to doing more to advance sustainability in all its forms. Four Seasons Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru is the first of 3 properties to implement the EarthCheck Evaluate programme with Earth Rating certification in partnership with the NOW Force for Good Alliance. Check out their total impact assessments and some glorious sustainable inspiration.
As part of the Sustainability Task Force within Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, Armando Kraenzlin is boldly urging other properties to move and step up. He pointed out that hotel managers and their team have the ability and power to create change and believes that as hoteliers, their job is also to make sure that if guests are sceptical about climate change, that when they leave, they are a champion to the cause.
Today, being well intentioned is no longer enough. Consumers and investors are now aware of climate change risks and the many threats upon us, and are more demanding of businesses to adopt sustainable business practices. NOW has raised the bar on accountability a n d transparency around sustainability which we define as ‘wellbeing of people and the planet’, and the goal for hotels is to be carbon positive and support the Sustainable Development Goals. Rigorous sustainability should be a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) in every hotel, in addition to the extra mile cleanliness and safety guest expect before, during and after the coronavirus pandemic.
As hotels navigate through the Covid-19 crisis and reopen for business this summer, most announced their aim to safeguard the ‘wellbeing’ of all guests and employees. Yet strangely, the key message of most hotels is about safety and social distancing, cleaning and disinfection protocols! These are our minimum expectations!
Conscious travellers want more. We yearn for travel with meaning and purpose and seek more sustainable choices. We want to indulge in authentic experiences that are representative of local cultures and we want the money we spend to go back into the local community. We dream of and seek transformative, meaningful and experiential travel whether we are in a city or in wilderness reserves or island retreats. We want experiences that connect us deeply to the natural world, rich cultures, beautiful communities, and most importantly, ourselves. And we want to stay in places we can trust, operated by those who understand that this is the new definition of luxury and it is not a trend, it is a commitment from the heart to ensure the wellbeing of people and planet. “We yearn for travel with meaning and purpose and seek more sustainable choices. We want to indulge in authentic experiences that are representative of local cultures and we want the money we spend to go back into the local community…!” Mintel, a market intelligence agency, shared their insight on the big shifts in behavior as COVID-19 brought the future forward. On wellbeing (seeking physical and mental wellness), we are experiencing a collective grief globally and while much of what is felt today is temporary, there will be lasting impacts on individual wellbeing. It takes on new meaning and holistic health is no longer just about the whole human, or even the whole human community, but the whole human biosphere. On experiences (seeking and discovering stimulation), people in lockdown worldwide have been forced to appreciate this new state of slowness. Consumers will seek new ways to find fulfillment, comfort and reassurance, placing an even greater emphasis on experiences over things, and the value of the human connection. On identity (understanding and expressing oneself and place in society), elements once hidden from public display will be more openly shared. Consumers will emerge from social distancing having been forced to look at themselves and their priorities in a new way to determine what’s worth returning to once things get back to “normal,” and will be even more empowered to stand up for the brands and causes that most align with their values. On rights (feeling respected), corporate ethics will no longer be a “nice to have,” but a “must-have”, and public demand for action will peak as more global social movements develop.
