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Sustainable enjoyment - especially on vacation
Tatjana Peters"Sustainable Food" is the name of Futouris' current industry project. The tourism industry's sustainability initiative is dedicated to a very central question of sustainable travel: how can the food and drink on offer in hotels and on cruise ships be made more sustainable and local value chains promoted? A practical handbook for use in tourism businesses was presented at this year's ITB as a key result of the first project phase. Now the recommendations described in it are being put into practice in the vacation destinations
Culinary delights as an important part of the vacation experience
For many holidaymakers, travel and cuisine are inextricably linked. Whether it's discovering unknown, exotic dishes or enjoying tried-and-tested delicacies, the cuisine at the vacation destination not only stimulates the taste buds, but in the best case scenario also brings you a little closer to the country and its people.
Launch of the "Sustainable Food" industry project
This is why the member companies of Futouris agreed on "Sustainable Food" as a new industry project in autumn 2015, in which all members of the sustainability initiative are involved. The overall aim: together with their contractual partners, the members of Futouris want to make the gastronomic offer in hotels and on cruise ships more sustainable, promote local value chains and thus give vacation guests the opportunity to literally "experience" the full variety, quality and special features of local and sustainably produced food. A pleasant side effect is that guests can also take away ideas for their everyday diet.
Scientific basis through baseline study
Important project milestones have now been reached: the results of a baseline study by the team led by Prof. Dr. Dagmar Lund-Durlacher from MODUL University Vienna on the topic of "Sustainable Nutrition" were presented at the ITB in Berlin at the beginning of March. The aim of the study was to determine the status quo of sustainability aspects in relation to the food and drink on offer at vacation destinations. Relevant study results, internationally recognized certification systems, best practice examples and customer wishes were analysed. On-site analyses were also carried out in hotels in Gran Canaria and Antalya as well as on a cruise ship.
Findings: Regionality and waste avoidance in focus
The results underline the relevance of the topic: 38 percent of guests rate sustainable nutrition as a key factor on vacation. There is a strong tendency towards "regionality", with more than 60 percent of German travelers preferring regional food - also to get to know other cultures. However, most service providers have not yet taken up and communicated a regional food offer as a possible competitive advantage, although this would be obvious due to the high preference of customers. Another important issue is the avoidance of food waste, as up to 60 percent of the food purchased by the hotels surveyed currently ends up in the bin. Awareness-raising through staff training and guest communication emerged as a key factor for implementing sustainable strategies.
Practical handbook & Model projects
These and other results of the study were incorporated into a clear, English-language practical handbook that supports tourism providers in the development, implementation and marketing of sustainable food offers. The handbook can be downloaded from the Futouris website at www.futouris.org/projekte/sustainable-food.
The second key result of the baseline study was the development of specific Futouris project proposals to test the solutions generated in practice. In March 2016, the Futouris members selected two of these model projects for implementation: The first project aims to train hotel employees in the prevention of food waste, while the second project will develop and test tools for guest information in the area of sustainable nutrition.
