The travel and tourism industry must increasingly deal with challenges such as climate change and water shortages; issues that are already affecting tourism destinations and which need action now.

Responding to a need from a number of our tourism partners who wanted practical guidance on what sustainable tourism actually means and looks like in a destinations context, Forum for the Future produced Paradise Found, a report exploring destinations and their sustainability credentials around the world.

It finds that investing in energy efficiency, implementing staff retention programmes and re-thinking waste are all ways in which resorts can become more profitable while benefitting local communities and the environment.

It also demonstrates how leading businesses in the tourist industry are taking action on climate change, cutting greenhouse gas emissions in expectation of tough regulations and making plans to adapt to the consequences of changing weather systems.

Paradise Found demonstrates how investment in five key areas:

1. environment
2. people
3. community
4. infrastructure
5. finance...

...can enhance profitability, highlighting best practice examples. It serves as a guide for tour operators, developers, hoteliers and other tourism providers involved in building new resorts or refurbishing existing buildings.

Whilst the report finds that there is no one tourism development that is yet truly sustainable, there are resorts that are leading the way in certain aspects of sustainability.

Six Senses’ Soneva Fushi resort in the Maldives is one of a growing number of destinations which are already reaping the benefits of incorporating carbon management into their business. Since starting to manage its energy use in 2006 it has halved its carbon footprint. It plans to be zero carbon by 2010, offsetting emissions from guest flights, resort travel and operations by building wind turbines in India which are expected to generate more than £1 million of carbon credits over 20 years.

To read the Paradise Found press release, click here. 

Next steps

We can help you apply the Paradise Found criteria to your destination, resort or hotel. For this or further information on our work on sustainable tourism, click here or email Vicky Murray.

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Inspired by Paradise Found? Enter or vote in the Geotourism Challenge to find the latest innovators.