"ITB Hospitality Day": The Eco Guest - The customer of the future
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Berlin (February 20, 2009). It will probably be difficult to draw the entire profile of the "eco guest". He is supposed to be financially strong; therefore, he is attractive for many tourism and hotel suppliers. The five participants of the respective panel discussion at the fourth "ITB Hospitality Day", the hotel conference at the world's largest ITB tourism fair in Berlin, are already working with this type of guest. The more exciting it is to know what they will tell us. "Who is the Eco Guest? Profile of a Future Customer" is the title of the opening panel at the ITB conference day, where all visitors to the fair can participate free of charge. hospitalityInside.com is media partner of the ITB Hospitality Day.
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| Andrew Harding. |
The insights on the subject the panel discussion participants give hospitalityInside.com beforehand, will make up a complete and interesting picture at the end of the discussion. The studies about the spending behaviour of top customers of American Express (represented in the panel by Juergen Maier, Director Membership Travel Service Germany & Austria) fit perfectly in the picture of the new customer group.
However, not only well-to-do people are an environmentally friendly clientele. The sensitiveness concerning the subject decides on the bookings of such vacations. Andrew Harding realised this very quickly. One year ago, the British founded an online platform for "experiental travelling": Nature and Kind Travel. Here, like-minded people meet on a virtual basis - providers as well as travellers. The "eco" subject reaches far into the range of corporate social responsibility.
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| Marc Aeberhard. |
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company and Frégate Island Private would like to see their activities embedded in this context too. Sue Stephenson, Vice President at the Ritz-Carlton, joins the panel from the US to tell the history of origins of "Community Footprints", among others. What once started as individual initiatives of respective hotels has become a group-wide statement today - in complete silence. The initiative's PR effect ranges far behind the ambition to help sensitised guests as well as needy groups in the local environment of the hotel.
Today, Marc Aeberhard, who was born in Switzerland and has been living in the luxury resort Frégate Island Private on the Seychelles for two years now, is able to see the results of his colleagues' work who already started using the natural resources of the tropical island ten years ago. The resort is able to supply itself and even sells home-grown vegetables and fruits today. Nowadays, the "educational" approach of the eco and environmental concept inspires more and more guests - therefore, about 80% of the guests take part in the "nature walks" offered.
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| Alberto Torres Gutiérrez. |
Alberto Torress Gutiérrez proves that environmental awareness and social responsibility are compatible from the beginning. His family built a design hotel with accents on lifestyle and spa on the Spanish island of Ibiza - and from the beginning on they saved energy without limiting the comfort of the 5-star guests. The session will be moderated by Ralf Grauel, journalist and author for the German magazine "brand eins".
This exciting discussion at the beginning of the ITB Hospitality Day starts on Thursday, March 12, 2009, at 10.30am in Hall 7.1b, Auditorium London (duration: 60 minutes). All ITB participants are welcome. The entire programme is available at the following link. / red
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