How can you provide sustainable travel options to guests?

1 What is sustainable travel?

Sustainable travel is a form of tourism that aims to minimize the negative impacts and maximize the positive benefits of travel on the natural, social, and cultural environments. It also involves respecting the rights and needs of the host communities and ensuring that they benefit from tourism activities. Sustainable travel is not only good for the planet, but also for your guests, as it can offer them more authentic, meaningful, and enriching experiences.

2 How to assess your guests' preferences and needs?

Understanding your guests' preferences and needs is one of the first steps to provide sustainable travel options. Ask them some questions before or during their stay, such as their motivations and interests for traveling, their level of care for environmental and social issues, the activities and attractions they enjoy or want to try, their flexibility and adventurousness, and their budget and time frame. This information will allow you to tailor your recommendations and suggestions to suit each guest's individual style and goals.

3 How to find and promote sustainable travel options?

The next step is to research and identify the best sustainable travel options available in your destination. You can use various sources and criteria, such as online platforms, local organizations, your own network and contacts, and your own experience and knowledge. Once you have a list of potential options, you can promote them to your guests by emphasizing their benefits and features. These can include the positive impact they have on the environment and the society, the unique experiences they offer, as well as their value and quality. Examples of these benefits include reducing carbon emissions, preserving biodiversity, empowering local communities, providing comfort, safety, convenience, or affordability.

4 How to educate and inspire your guests?

Another way to provide sustainable travel options to your guests is to educate and inspire them to be more aware and responsible travelers. You can do this by sharing useful information on how to travel sustainably, providing feedback and recognition to those who choose sustainable travel options, encouraging your guests to participate in sustainability-related activities and events, and leading by example and showing your own commitment and passion for sustainability. For instance, you could thank guests who use public transportation, give them rewards for avoiding single-use plastics, support local causes, or join professional networks or associations.

5 How to measure and improve your performance?

The final step to provide sustainable travel options to your guests is to measure and improve your performance. This can be done by collecting and analyzing data and feedback from your guests, such as surveys, ratings, or testimonials, in order to evaluate their satisfaction and loyalty. Additionally, setting and tracking goals and indicators for your sustainability performance can be beneficial, such as the number of guests who choose sustainable travel options. Furthermore, seeking and applying best practices and innovations from other hospitality professionals, destinations, or sectors can help you learn from their successes and challenges. Lastly, reviewing and updating your sustainability policies and strategies is important to ensure that they are aligned with your guests' needs and expectations. Providing sustainable travel options to your guests can be a rewarding and profitable way to differentiate your concierge service and to contribute to a better world; by following these steps, you can create and deliver value for your guests, your destination, and yourself.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?