ST. PAUL, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Water scarcity could severely limit the growth of the booming
Asia-Pacific tourism industry, a new analysis shows. Currently water is
used abundantly in hotel guest rooms, swimming pools, kitchens and
restaurants, and in cooling towers for air conditioning. To continue its
rapid growth, the hospitality industry in the Asia-Pacific region
must adopt a leadership role in sustainable water management.
To help the hospitality industry improve its water practices, the
EarthCheck Research Institute today issued the White Paper on Tourism
and Water, a region-specific report detailing the implications of
water quality, availability and cost for the Asia-Pacific tourism
industry.
Developed by experts from Ecolab, EC3 Global, EarthCheck and Griffith
University, the white paper also provides a global context for water
stress and stewardship. The lack of access to clean drinking water is
already a critical issue for many countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
The region, already the world's fastest-growing tourism destination, is
expected to increase its population by 500 million within the next
decade, increasing water stress and scarcity.
"Forward-looking hospitality businesses are working to address water
consumption and minimize impacts to local communities," said Dr. Raj
Rajan, vice president of Research, Development and Engineering for
Ecolab, and a prominent contributor to the white paper. "The white paper
encourages hospitality businesses in the Asia-Pacific region to take a
holistic systems approach to identifying and implementing water
efficiency and conservation measures."
The white paper offers strategies for examining operations and provides
tactics for reducing consumption and inefficiencies in key areas of
water use, such as optimizing laundry wash formulas and rinse cycles to
reduce overall water consumption. In addition, benchmarks put forward in
the white paper, including an average comparison of global water usage
per guest night, and opportunities to reduce water use, can help
organizations assess their progress.
"We took an active role in the development of the white paper because we
have extensive experience helping our hospitality customers around the
world conserve water and improve the sustainability of their
operations," said Rajan.
Dr. Rajan and Susanne Becken, professor of Sustainable Tourism at
Griffith University, will present the findings of the white paper on
World Water Day, March 22, at the Singapore International Water Festival.
To download the White Paper on Tourism and Water, visit www.ecolab.com.
About EC3 Global
EC3 Global is an international tourism and
environmental management and advisory group that was developed by the
Sustainable Tourism Cooperative Research Centre (STCRC), the world's
largest dedicated research centre, specializing in sustainable tourism
and research. www.ec3global.com
About the EarthCheck Research Institute
The EarthCheck
Research Institute (ERI) is a not-for-profit company whose goal is to be
a leading international centre for scientific excellence in sustainable
tourism. The institute focuses on scientific research, education and
capacity building to solve real-world challenges. http://www.ec3global.com/about-us/research-inst.aspx
About Griffith University
Griffith University is a top
ranking academic institution based in South East Queensland, Australia.
Research on sustainable tourism is largely undertaken at the Centre for
Tourism, Sport and Services Research, which is part of the Griffith
Business School. Through its activities, the Centre links
university-based researchers with the business sector and organizations,
as well as local, state and federal government bodies. www.griffith.edu.au/business-government/centre-tourism-sport-services-research
About Ecolab
A trusted partner at more than one million
customer locations, Ecolab (ECL) is the global leader in water, hygiene
and energy technologies and services that protect people and vital
resources. With 2012 sales of $12 billion and 41,000 associates, Ecolab
delivers comprehensive solutions and on-site service to ensure safe
food, maintain clean environments, optimize water and energy use and
improve operational efficiencies for customers in the food, healthcare,
energy, hospitality and industrial markets in more than 170 countries
around the world. For more Ecolab news and information, visit www.ecolab.com.
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(ECL-C)
Ecolab Inc.
Roman Blahoski, 651-293-4385
MediaRelations@Ecolab.com
Source: Ecolab Inc.
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