Download 4_Dr_Gh_AIDI_IHRA - Cyprus Hotel Association

International Hotels &
Restaurants Association
From Paris to Geneva to the World
160 Years of Service
to the Global Hospitality Industry
32nd Annual Hotel Conference
CYPRUS HOTEL ASSOCIATION
February 25,2010
Nicosia,CYPRUS
Sustainable Development &
Hospitality
By Dr. Ghassan AIDI, President
January 2010, several issues are facing us : Tourism,
Climate Change, Turbulent finances becoming turbulent
economy, crisis, etc.. Are we going toward a major
catastrophe? Maybe Yes or no.
Several questions need answers. Why our Economy is
Failing down, Is our Banking system going bankruptcy,
Why we cannot distinguish anymore the four seasons as it
use to be…
Everybody is blaming Industry Pollution, Aviation, waste
Hospitality Sector. Others are blaming climate change
effect but what effect Climate change has on our Industry?
Some go further in blaming development of our industry
without respecting norms of Sustainable development???
Are we going
to see the
end of this
turbulent and
sad Tunnel ?
And how and
when?
2010 or 2011
0r 20??
Hospitality Industry
Yes our Hospitality sector is an Industry
and an important Industry employing more
than 60 million and
contributing about 1000 billion USD
annually to the Global Economy. This
Industry will continue its expansion with
various degree following the regions in the
World
IH&RA do consider it as one of the
Natural Disaster Affecting our
Industry, Together with Terrorism
Acts, Weather and other disasters
like Tsunami and Health crisis and
diseases.

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
WATER IN OCEAN WILL RISE
TEMPERATURE WILL RISE
SNOW COVER WILL BE REDUCED
RAINFALL WILL CHANGE ITS
SEASON and will decline
The Mediterranean basin countries will suffer
from Water problem and from tourism
arrivals at the middle of this century.
The northern part of Europe will enjoy the
climate change with raise of the heat and
the North sea costal area will be the “new”
Riviera
Cyprus, Greece, Spain, Italy,
France will have a very
dramatically consequences
as more than 200 millions of
tourist (20% of the total
World tourists) today spend
their vacation at these
countries.

We do believe that indirectly
several human factors did
contribute to this disaster of
climate change as Gas
Emissions, transportation with
fuel consumption and high
emission of CO2, deforestation
and the destruction of coral in
ocean and sea
The World start to move
Some dates are important to remember:
KYOTO 1997 provides for commitments till
2012 where all International community
work together toward a global agreement to
reach the conference in Bali in December
2007 adopting a set of various decisions
that was called Bali Road Map leading to an
International conference in Copenhagen
held in December 2009
KYOTO 1997
BALI 2007
COPENHAGEN 2009
Next (?).
WTO took the lead for our Sector the
Tourism, Aviation and Hospitality with the
declaration of Davos in 2007 and was a
success showing the World that the Tourism
Sector with its Hospitality & Aviation sector
will lead its obligations with the climate
change and raise the awareness in our
Industry.
IH&RA was active at this declaration
Worldwide 120 various criteria has been developed not
one from the hospitality Industry. 36 organizations met
together in a steering committee with the UN
Foundation and develop during one year the GLOBAL
CRITERIA FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT.
IHRA was the Only Hospitality Group that was present
and did participate actively protecting consumers and
the Hotel as well as the developer. These criteria has
been presented last year to the United nations in
October 2008.
THE FUTUR
Understanding the effect of the
climate change, did lead us to define
these criteria. The Consumers today
is becoming more and more educate
and their demand is growing for
Hotels applying sustainable
practices to help protect our planet.
WHY USING CRITERIAS
It’s a criteria that took into consideration the needs of
the consumers and Hoteliers as well as developers.
These criteria will serve as a basic guidelines for hotels
to become more sustainable.
It will be a guide for tour operator to choose their hotels
It will certify hotels under IH&RA label EMERAUDE
HOTEL.
Consumers will identify sustainable program and Hotel.
It will be a basic guidelines for Hotels Schools and
Universities for education.

We have to conciliate
environment and Tourism with
respect to the environment as
well as associate the Local
human factors to projects that
will assure them a better life and
assure travelers and tourists to
think otherwise than their own
leisure's
Several recommendations has been associated
with these criteria as:
1- reduce greenhouse gas emissions
2- Mitigating the increased costs of Energy by
doing a carbon trading
3- diversifying our sources of Energy ( Solar, etc)
4- Reinforcing Coastal infrastructure.
5- Encouraging building Eco-Hotels.
6- reduce carbon footprint
IH&RA LEADING THE
HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY
IN CREATING &
IMPLEMENTING
SOLUTIONS AS:
Public
AWARNESS 100X10-1000X10
Join all our efforts together
Reduce energy consumptions
Recycle our waste
Adopt a new technology in energy.
 Incorporate all reducing climate factors in
Tourism projects, planning and management
policies in the Hospitality Industry
CREATE PROJECTS THAT COULD
GENERATE OFFSETS
Increase
and protect Forestry.
Capture carbon and store it.
Reduce the emissions in Industry projects.
Reduce Methane emissions from the waste.
Encourage renewable new type of Energy
Define structure of 12 Aims of Sustainable Tourism,
divided into 4 categories of the “triple bottom line”
(environmental, sociocultural, and economic):
A. Achieve &Implement effective sustainable management.
B. Maximize social & economic benefit to the community.
C. Minimize harm to cultural heritage and maximize benefit
D. Minimize environmental harm .
A-
Each
Achieve & Implement effective
sustainable Management
Hotel will implement a long term sustainability
management system that is suitable to its reality and scale,
and that considers environmental, sociocultural, quality,
health, and safety issues.
 The Hotel is in compliance with all relevant legislation and
regulations (including, among others, health, safety, labor,
and environmental aspects).
 All personnel receive training in environmental and
sociocultural management issues.
 Customer satisfaction is measured and corrective action
taken where necessary.
Promotional
materials are accurate and complete and do
not promise more than can be reasonably expected by
customers.
Design and construction of buildings and infrastructure
comply with local zoning and protected or heritage area
requirements.
Respect the natural or cultural heritage surroundings in
design and impact.
provide access for Persons with special needs.
B. Maximize social & economic benefit to the
community.
The
Hotel actively supports initiatives for social &
infrastructure community development including, among
others, education, health, and access to sanitation.
Local residents are employed. Training is offered .
A code of conduct for activities in local communities has
been developed after consultation with them.
Policies are implemented against exploitation of Children
and minorities .
Infrastructure: improvement or maintenance of
community public institutions and physical plant (roads,
aqueducts, sewage treatment, etc.).
C. Minimize harm to cultural heritage and
maximize benefit
The
Hotel follows established guidelines and a code
of behavior for visits to culturally or historically
sensitive sites, in order to minimize visitor impact and
maximize enjoyment, and to contribute to protection of
local properties.
Historical and archeological artifacts are not sold,
traded, or displayed, except as permitted by law.
The Hotel uses elements of local art, architecture, or
cultural heritage in its operations, design, decoration,
food, or shops; while respecting the intellectual
property rights of local communities.

Purchasing
D. Minimize environmental .
policy favors environmentally friendly products, for
building materials, capital goods, food, and consumables.
The purchase of disposable and consumable goods is
measured, and the Hotel actively seeks ways to reduce their use
and their waste.
Energy consumption should be measured, sources indicated,
and measures to decrease overall consumption should be
adopted, while encouraging the use of renewable energy.
Reducing pollution
Greenhouse gas emissions from all sources controlled by the
Hotel are measured, and procedures are implemented to reduce
and offset them, as a way to achieve climate neutrality.
Wastewater,
including gray water, is treated effectively and
Solid Waste management plan is implemented for recycling.
The use of harmful substances, including pesticides, paints,
swimming pool disinfectants, and cleaning materials, is properly
managed, minimized, and substituted, when available, by
innocuous products.
The Hotel implements practices to reduce pollution from noise,
light, runoff, erosion, ozone-depleting compounds, and air and
soil contaminants.
Protection of rare, or threatened species from consumption,
trade, displayed following local laws and no captive wildlife is
kept, except for licensed conservation activities.
All wildlife species are treated in conformity with international
and national legislation“.
These Basic guidelines will serve Hotels
to become more sustainable and help
their certification and accreditation,
specially will the help of Government
Worldwide as a point of departure for
developing sustainable tourism
requirements, and will serve as general
Guidance to Travel Agencies and Tour
Operator in choosing sustainable
Hospitality supplier.
A STAR IS BORN
.
EMERAUDE HOTEL
We start this year certifying our members to
apply these criteria under our unique Label
EMERAUDE HOTEL.
As we are the ONLY hospitality association
certifying members Hotels .
We did prepare a manual for each hotel to help
him respecting these criteria.
EMERAUDE HOTEL
All our Ambassadors visiting Hotels are
Hoteliers themselves and do understand how to
help them to apply the criteria's.
Three level has been developed:
1. One Emeraude for Hotels applying between
50 and 70% of criteria.
2. Two Emeraude for hotels applying between
70 and 85%.
3. Three Emeraude for Hotels respecting more
than 85% of Criteria.
Conclusion
2010 will be challenging but to our Industry
but not impossible to get over with it.
The Hospitality Industry as a whole needs to
become positive and explore our unlimited
opportunities
Remember that our Industry is the largest
employer in the History and do employ more
than 950 million of workers and we are the
last barrier and the major fighter against the
poverty in the world
Who We Are

The only international trade association
exclusively devoted to promoting and defending
the interests of the hotel and restaurant industry
worldwide (Private Sector)

A non-profit membership organization dedicated
to helping members achieve business objectives
and prepare for the future
IHRA HISTORY
Founded in Koblenz Germany in 1869, as
International Hotelmen Alliance (IHA)
KOBLENZ
IHRA HISTORY
Koblenz was in the heart of Europe near
Switzerland, France, Holland, Belgium, Austria
IHA-International Hotels Associaition

After the second world War,
The Association move to
Paris France and Become
International Hotels
Association in 1946
IHRA-International Hotels & Restaurants
Associaition
IN January 2008, the
Actual president
move the head
office from Paris to
Geneva Switzerland
IHRA-International Hotels & Restaurants
Association
Several Hoteliers
leaders
already visited
IHRA in
Geneva, Home
of the United
Nations
organizations
Our Vision…
We are the voice
Of the global
hotel and
restaurant industry
Our Mission…
Provide a platform for:
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Formation of Industry Positions
International Representation
Information Dissemination
International Connections
Who We Represent

Through its membership network, IH&RA
represents an estimated 200,000 hotels and 6
million restaurants
Hotels & Restaurants such as…
Strategic Partnerships

Global Organizations &
Associations

Worldwide Partners
Our international network
“The UN Family”

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UN - United Nations
UNESCO - UN Educational,

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WHO - World Health Organisation
WIPO - World Intellectual
Property Organisation
Scientific & Cultural Organisation
 UNEP - UN Environment Program  WTO - World Trade Organisation
 ILO - International Labour
 UNWTO - UN World Tourism
Organization
Organization
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Lets work together in 2010
and seal the deal in
Sustainability at our Industry
for a better future
International Hotel &
Restaurant Association
THANK YOU
160 Years of Service
to the Global Hospitality Industry