Austria
Today is Earth Day 2022 and we wanted to share and celebrate the Sustainability winners of the recent TUI Global Hotel Awards. Our winners are involved in an innovative sustainable food and recycling project, that not only helps to protect the planet but supports people and communities.
Hotel Riu Festival and Hotel Riu San Francisco in Majorca were joint winners of the Sustainability award. The award recognises hotels that have sustainability at their heart and are examples of a more sustainable holiday experience. Selected from hundreds of entries from hotel partners across the globe, judges were impressed by Hotel Riu Festival and Hotel Riu San Francisco’s involvement in a sustainable project that embraces the principles of the circular economy.
Hotel Riu San Francisco and Hotel Riu Festival are part of an alliance of hotels in Majorca working with the municipal waste company and a local fruit and vegetable producer. The project aims to reduce, reuse and recycle waste as well as minimize carbon emissions. In the process it has also created jobs and income for local communities. Sensors have been installed at the hotels to monitor organic waste, which is then converted into valuable compost. A local producer then uses the compost for growing fruit and vegetables, which are then sold to the hotels and enjoyed by their guests.
"It is important that we keep finding creative ways to transform our business model to a model in line with the circular economy concept. This will require time and alliances, but it is our responsibility as a big company with a big environmental impact. This project is a great example, and it shows how waste can become a valuable resource. We will continue to work to find more creative ways to help us in that duty. Thank you to our associate TUI for recognizing our effort," said Lola Trian Riu, Sustainability Director at Riu.
Creta Maris Beach Resort in Crete also received a special commendation for its sustainable food practices. It has extensively focused on responsibly sourcing products from local food producers, supporting the economies of Crete, and promoting Greek gastronomy among their guests. They have also worked on minimising food waste by using left-over food for composting, which they then use as fertilizer on their own vegetables which they grown in their hotel gardens.
TUI is working with all its partners to create more sustainable holiday experiences and together with its hotel partners has delivered over 43 million holidays to hotels certified to Global Sustainable Tourism Council standards.
