How to start your sustainability journey in 3 steps

Most tourism businesses understand the importance of building environmental and commercial sustainability into their day-to-day operations. However, just as many if not more, are overwhelmed by what can seem like a complex, daunting process.

What steps should you take first? How do you know what to measure? Where do you find the data? How do you set realistic goals for continuous improvement? Where can you find resources and support? How do your figures compare? How to avoid accidently greenwashing? 

These are common questions from travel and tourism businesses looking to start their sustainability journeys.

There’s good news.

Building a resilient business that’s not only environmentally sustainable but also endures for the next 50 or 100 years doesn’t have to be complicated – and you don’t have to navigate it alone!

Weeva offers all the guidance and support hotels, resorts and lodges might need to get started – with a simple, three-step process to set you on the right path…

Step one: Learn the ins and outs of sustainable tourism management

There are many things – beyond energy, water and waste – that you can focus on to improve your sustainability in a more holistic way across 360 degrees of your business.

In fact, at Weeva, we’ve identified a 360° Framework broken down into 18 business parameters where you can quickly make a noticeable impact, be they focused on conservation, community, culture or commerce.

Start with understanding the parameters, choose one that makes the most sense for your business, and educate yourself and your team about why it’s important and how you can improve. Useful knowledge guides are built into the Weeva platform at every stage with expert advice and easy-to-follow tips on best practice. The Weeva Connect team is also on standby to help you should you need support. 

Step two: Measure your sustainable impact

You can’t improve anything if you don’t understand it. And to understand something, you need data. You can only manage what you can measure. 

Once you’ve decided on an area or parameter for improvement, it’s time to consolidate all relevant data for reporting purposes. You could, for example, track how much fuel each game drive vehicle is using per guest to see where savings can be made. Calculate how much energy and water each hotel room uses per guest. Analyse your own organisational culture in terms of diversity and inclusivity – or monitor staff job satisfaction and retention. Weeva can also help you evaluate the true impact of your various social responsibility projects on the local community and economy.

Reporting often means lots of excel sheets – or your whole team could just input data into a central data management system like Weeva, which converts the information into useful charts and graphs to both inform commercial decisions and track your progress.

Step three: Set targets for your sustainability journey

With the system analysing your data in real-time, you’ll soon have a solid baseline of your sustainability performance, enabling you to set realistic targets at KPI’s for improvement.

Intuitive visual dashboards show how you’re performing, and where you’re progressing – allowing you to make more informed decisions on the next steps you can take to either amplify your positive impact or put plans in place to mitigate the negative impacts.

All in all, transparent, data-based reports make it easier to set targets and to track and measure progress towards them.

This makes it easier to set targets and to track and measure progress towards them.

A journey of intention starts with a first step

Sustainability is a series of intentional steps in the right direction that cumulatively get you to a better place. Your journey of intention starts with taking that first step.