White paper provides business case to address impact of water
availability, quality and pricing
ST. PAUL, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
A new white paper provides an in-depth look at the impacts of water
stress and scarcity on tourism in the Asia-Pacific region. The paper, From
Challenges to Solutions: Providing the Business Case, details
the business imperative for addressing water stress and scarcity and
outlines a comprehensive set of recommendations to drive significant
change in hotel operations. The paper was developed by experts
from Ecolab, EC3 Global, EarthCheck and Griffith University.
The Asia-Pacific region is expected to welcome 500 million tourists in
2014. This influx of visitors puts pressure on a region that already is
experiencing serious water stress in 75 percent of its countries,
presenting significant challenges to the rapidly growing tourism
industry.
"As water stress and scarcity increases, so too will the cost of water,
and the expectation and impetus for more sustainable water use by the
hospitality industry," said Dr. Raj Rajan, vice president, RD&E, and
global sustainability technical leader for Ecolab, and a major
contributor to the white paper. "This white paper will promote water
stewardship within the Asia-Pacific hospitality industry by providing
hotel operators with practical solutions to reduce water consumption and
costs within their operations."
The white paper outlines a comprehensive set of recommendations to drive
significant change in hospitality operations, from auditing water use
and risk, to planning and implementing technical solutions in bathrooms,
guest rooms, pools and gardens, to changing behavior of staff and
visitors.
"With this data we can help facilities understand how much water they
are using, understand their footprint, and provide benchmarks,
monitoring tools and practical insights to guide them toward improved
operational performance," said Stewart Moore, contributor to the white
paper and EarthCheck CEO. "Major changes are required that involve leaps
in the way we use water and how we deploy technology."
The paper utilizes case studies to demonstrate tangible examples of
water-savings strategies implemented by hotel operators, and the
positive environmental impact of these stewardship practices.
The paper also outlines the connection between energy and water in hotel
properties, and the challenges this interdependency will likely create
for the tourism industry. To address these impacts, the authors of the
white paper call for a holistic look at both water and energy
footprints, as well as for additional research to identify solutions to
minimize impacts in both areas.
"Ecolab co-sponsored this white paper to help the Asia-Pacific
hospitality industry reduce the operational risks associated with
increased water scarcity," said Michael Hickey, Ecolab executive vice
president and president, Global Institutional. "The hospitality industry
in this region and throughout the world can be at the forefront of water
stewardship to help preserve this limited resource."
From Challenges to Solutions is the second white paper on tourism
and water released by these authors, and was developed with
information from hotel operators in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as
benchmarking data from the international EarthCheck Certification
database. Download the white paper on tourism and water here.
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 2013 sales of $13 billion and 45,000 associates, Ecolab
delivers comprehensive solutions and on-site service to promote 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.
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.earthcheck.org/science.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
(ECL-C)
Ecolab Inc.
Roman Blahoski, 651-293-4385
MediaRelations@Ecolab.com
Source: Ecolab Inc.
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