Charles Lindbergh's historic transatlantic flight from New York to Paris in 1927. Significantly, the first Atlantic crossing by an aircraft fueled entirely with sustainable fuel started in Europe and went from Heathrow to New York, as reported by the British Air Ministry.
This attracted attention worldwide. “Quite rightly,” explains Markus Gratzer, Secretary General of the Austrian Hotel Association, “arrival and departure are the Achilles heel of sustainable tourism, causing up to 90% of the CO2 on vacation. If we get better at this, green travel will soon be a reality. We are now a giant step closer to that!”
Hotels as pioneers in climate protection
According to the Federal Environment Agency, energy consumption per night in hotels was reduced by 2008% between 2019 and 54, and the proportion of renewable energy increased from 36 to 54%. “And we are continuing on this path, the ÖHV supports the hotels with all its strength and comprehensive information in seminars, newsletters and a partner network that is up to date,” Gratzer sees the ÖHV and its 1.700 members as pioneers: “We’re on it and we’re staying on it: We’re giving full throttle to reducing energy consumption!”
More movement on climate issues on arrival and departure “great”
“Even if more and more business partners are demanding that ESG criteria be met, most hoteliers are following the sustainable path out of conviction – and doing so much faster than others,” reports Gratzer. “If it were up to us, sustainable flying and driving would long ago be standard!” The goal is to make tourism more sustainable - also to get it out of the sometimes unjustified criticism: “Especially in the quality segment, many are doing what they can. If there’s more to come and go now, that’s great!”
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