Sustainability: new consumption paradigms for the tourism sector as well
Sustainable hotels and green facilities: why it is important to be found
Green facilities and ESG pathways: how to improve your social and environmental impact
Innovaturismo 2022 call for proposals: initiative to support the sustainability of tourism enterprises
Environmental sustainability among fundable projects
From application submission to grant disbursement
Data from a recent research conducted by Booking.com support what the OECD announced and advised some time ago: “Tourism will recover gradually but must be thought of as more sustainable.”
This concept guides Unioncamere Lombardy in defining the Innovaturismo 2022 call for proposals.
Sustainability: new consumption paradigms for the tourism sector as well
We are witnessing a major change, driven by new consumer demands and marked by increasing corporate action.
The effects of climate change are too strong to go unheeded; we all feel guilty and aware that we can right the wrongs of the past by making new, sustainable choices for the well-being of the environment and society.
This feeling of vindication also emerges from research conducted by booking.com in April 2022 (click here to see the original source).
The world’s most popular accommodation search channel surveyed 300,000 people for a report on sustainable travel, returning a snapshot of a more environmentally conscious market.
81% of global travelers, 93% of Italians, believe sustainable travel is important; a quarter of respondents choose destinations closer to home to reduce their emissions; one in five prefer train to car for the same reason.
Changing traveler philosophy, 74% of Italians (59% globally) would like to leave the places they visited better than they found them, and 25% say they would be willing to pay more to do activities while traveling that contribute to the well-being of the local community.
Sustainable hotels and green facilities: why it is important to be found
Compared to even just a year ago, it is certainly easier today to find sustainable facilities with tourism offerings featuring goods and services that meet the needs of a more responsible public.
Booking.com itself labels with the sustainable badge those facilities that have demonstrated certain environmental certifications.
However, there are still those who argue that this is not enough; 35 percent of global travelers and 43 percent of Italians believe that the commitment to sustainability made by accommodations is crucial in guiding travelers’ choices.
Green facilities and ESG pathways: how to improve your social and environmental impact
Among tourists, the number of those who prefer to stay in places that allow them to be in contact with nature is growing, we are witnessing the rediscovery of solutions such as agritourism and camping, and the spread of new and original options such as tree houses and glamping.
In addition to contact with nature, what is quite clear among those surveyed by the booking.com staff is to evaluate the accommodation facility to be chosen also according to the actions it takes for environmental and social sustainability. What services does it provide?
How does it act to reduce its direct and indirect emissions?
Consumers are more aware than in the past, and to live up to their assessments, tourism enterprises must change their modus operandi, drawing from reliable partners, and – where provided – from government grants rendered for the benefit of tourism enterprises.
Our role as promoters of a new business culture has enabled us to support the change already of many companies, of realities that have shown the need to change their strategy to achieve corporate sustainability.
We have initiated customized audits and studies, analyzed what needs to be done to reduce its carbon emissions and achieve carbon neutrality, and drafted the sustainability documents required by stakeholders.
Innovaturismo 2022 call for proposals: initiative to support the sustainability of tourism enterprises
On June 20, 2022 by the determination of the chief operating officer no.
82/2022 the Innovaturismo 2022 call for proposals was approved by the Chambers of Commerce of Bergamo, Brescia, Como-Lecco, Cremona, Mantua, Milan-Lodi-Monza e Brianza and Varese.
The total resources allocated for this facility are €370,000 distributed for all Lombard Chambers of Commerce.
This is a measure aimed at supporting projects to revitalize the local tourism sector, strengthen tourism supply chains and its businesses, and improve the enjoyment and safety of the tourism experience and the environmental sustainability of the services offered.
The facility concerns a non-repayable contribution recognized to MPMIs (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) and partnerships (union of at least three MPMIs or associations or consortia).
The subsidy applies only to eligible expenses net of VAT in the amount of 60 percent up to a maximum limit of €60,000. For individual companies, the minimum investment is €10,000, while for partnerships it is €25,000.
Environmental sustainability among fundable projects
The objective of the call is to finance solutions that can contribute to the revitalization of Lombardy’s tourism industry, and in pursuit of this it admits among the projects eligible for funding under the Innovaturismo call solutions to increase the environmental sustainability of the services offered . They include:
- Electric vehicle charging solutions;
- Solutions for the development of new active&green services;
- Certifications and adoption of protocols for environmental sustainability;
- Solutions for water saving and wastewater reuse.
For this purpose, expenses incurred for the purchase of:
- Goods and services;
- Research and development services;
- Services and technologies for engineering of systems and products attached to the project;
- Consulting services for outreach, marketing, communication, and feasibility studies.
From application submission to grant disbursement
In order to participate in the Innovaturismo 2022 call for proposals, interested companies and partnerships (remembering that the initiative is aimed only at MPMIs and partnerships with operational headquarters in Lombardy) must submit their applications by noon on Sept. 30, 2022, and only online, at http://webtelemaco.infocamere.it.
To help users in the authentication and submission phase Unioncamere Lombardia has also released through its YouTube channel a video tutorial.
The submission will be followed by the verification, appraisal and publication phases of the applications accepted for the grant, again through the same online platform.
Then, before qualifying for the grant disbursement (which will be made in one installment), admitted participants will have to submit reporting in one lump sum by July 27, 2023.
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