The closing ceremony of the executive programme on innovation and sustainability “Smart Sustainable Strategies” took place yesterday in the Multi-purpose Hall of the Municipal Library, with the presentation of the different projects on which the participating companies have been working. The closing ceremony was attended by around twenty people.
In total, a dozen accommodation establishments, mostly hotel chains, and one agency specialising in tailor-made travel presented their management strategy in terms of sustainability and innovation. These were the Frigola Group, Evenia Hotels, the EHO hotel group (with the BPM hotel), Marsol Hotels, Bondia Hotels (with the Augusta Club hotel), Rosamar Hotels, the Xaine Park hotel, the Bella Dolores hotel, the Los Pinares hostel and the incoming agency Neo travel. The main common characteristic of the projects presented is the incorporation of professionals specialised in sustainability into the current working structures. In the words of Elizabeth Keegan “this is very good news as it means the incorporation of sustainability into the DNA of the companies in Lloret, in a transversal way, capillarising in the rest of the departments and becoming a strategic axis”. In the case of the Frigola Group, for example, it has the support of a consultancy specialising in energy efficiency and, in addition to different sustainable management seals such as Bioscore, it has also achieved a level 3 sustainability ranking in Booking. The BPM hotel (from the EHO hotel group) has incorporated the DOBLIN methodology to develop a constant improvement in the customer experience and Marsol Hotels is making progress in a project for integral recycling and monitoring with specific indicators to guide actions. Most of the companies have also incorporated improvements in their day-to-day operations, such as electronic invoicing or digital time recording, strategies to avoid food waste and awareness-raising campaigns on water consumption or selective collection through gamification.
Energy efficiency is also a shared strategic axis, establishments such as Costa Encantada by Marsol Hotels have incorporated photovoltaic panels and the Bella Dolores hotel will soon do the same.
As differentiating proposals, the hostal Los Pinares will set up a hectare of forest to promote contact with nature and forest baths; the Neo travel agency is working on the incorporation of a new line of products and services “Eco-Friendy Travel Experiences” and the Xaine Park hotel is preparing a change in the lighting of the hotel’s façade.
It is also relevant the Bioscore certification of different participating establishments, it is the first international standard in sustainability in tourist accommodation and has been developed by the ISO (International Organisation for Standardisation) Standardisation Committee.
Lloret de Mar Innovation and Sustainability Executive Programme
Lloret Turisme, the tourism management and promotion body of Lloret de Mar Town Council, with the support of the Lloret de Mar Hotels Association, has worked with ICTET to develop the executive programme on innovation and sustainability “Smart Sustainable Strategies” for professionals in Lloret’s tourism sector from 14 February to 21 March.
Since 2021, Lloret Turisme has promoted various training programmes for the tourism sector in Lloret de Mar in areas such as digital transformation, ethical and sustainable transformation and innovation and sustainability.
Over the last three years, Lloret Turisme has also participated in the European-funded project Greentour on Circular Economy and Sustainable Tourism in Destinations in the Sudoe Area, which has developed a sustainability self-assessment and eco-labelling tool. Lloret de Mar recently hosted the presentation of the results of the extrapolation of data from the different territories/destinations that are partners in the project.
In terms of communication and awareness-raising in terms of governance, this summer Lloret Turisme will continue its civic-mindedness campaign “Our 40,691 neighbours like you when you love Lloret”, which focuses on respect for the environment and citizenship, with particular emphasis on the responsible use of water in the context of the drought that Catalonia is experiencing.
