For a few years already, we have attended a real awakening of the individuals, companies and public authorities on the need for acting for a sustainable development of planet. Within the framework of our study we will be able to be interested in a sector touched particularly by this topic: tourism. Tourism is indeed the first world economic activity, the independent source of human migrations and the result of the complementarity of various sectors like hotel trade, transport, leisures etc.
It is also important to note that tourism exists only if the "inheritance" of the territory of reception is, and remains gravitational. For this reason, tourism is particularly concerned by the concept of durability of its environment. It is a sector where the "bearable" character of the activity plays an important role. Consequently, it appears logical that tourism is one of the economic sectors where the professionals themselves seized the topic of durability.
Among those the Accor group has the appearance of a company pionnière and pursues an active and voluntarist, political development policy durable often quoted in example. It could thus be interesting to see whether this policy leads to concrete actions or if sustainable development is only one communications tools additional for the group.
Tourism is a global industry having recorded 664 million tourists in 1999, and about 1.6 billion tourists are expected to be recorded in 2020 (source: Economic alternatives No. 194). In 1999, the Chinese outbound markets were ranked the fourth in the world and reached out to 100 million passengers. And these figures relate only to the Chinese market. The influx of tourists constitutes an important and existing demand. Tourism is a growing market and is a windfall for many businesses. The resources from this sector have stimulated economic development and social development in many regions worldwide.
We can enumerate many virtues of tourism in terms of personal enrichment, exchanges and cultural interactions, discoveries of cultures, languages and foreign cultures. The economic and financial stakes are not insignificant either. Thousands of jobs are related directly or indirectly to tourism and are created each year in areas as diverse as construction, hospitality, catering, construction, and many other activities of "service".Thus, jobs and resources from tourism promote the growth and development of regions that face difficulties.
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: Alongside the rapid development of many industries around the world, the emergence of new information technologies and communication, the phenomenon of globalization and the globalization of trade have been taking place and more and more people are "pulling the bell alarm "about the health of our planet and its inhabitants.
While the exponential growth of the global economy has many advantages, it also entails negative effects on the economic, social and environmental concerns. In response to this act of nuisance, the concept of sustainable development emerged in the 80s. Scientists are unanimous about the dangers underlying our planet.
Depleted natural resources, climate change, ozone layer disappears, biodiversity, increase in pollution, poor distribution of wealth, and faster growth of population and less amount of food available to satisfy hunger are some reasons for the danger that seems to be engulfing our planet. In short the situation is serious, and we must react quickly.
Tags: Exponential growth, sustainable development, globalization, stimulated economic development, communications tools.
[...] - Some hotels offer group expressions and exhibitions spaces for local artists - Accor has also been a partner of Lille 2004 Positive aspects: - Accor seems to be aware of issues related to the presence of its hotels in some countries of the world - The group's commitment to the side of several associations reveals a real desire to position itself as a responsible company - Accor, unlike many companies takes into account the economic aspect of sustainable development even if it is not very important - Unlike previous issues, Accor involves more importantly with its customers and suppliers on such matters Negative aspects: - Accor seems very involved whencompared to the support of local communities, but we regret that the group did not reveal any figures on its commitment - It is also clear that certain actions, which could be implemented in all hotels of the group, were conducted only in a local way. [...]
[...] Thomas Cook Travel in fact proposed that it does not "produce" itself.Despite the establishment of a sustainable tourism charter for local hoteliers, there is no real policy for the location and construction of hotel complexes. It remains to be done for Thomas Cook to strengthen its commitment to sustainable tourism. Thomas Cook is part of a strategy initiated by supporting many humanitarian actions. Club Med Club Med is the world leader in all inclusive vacation.Positioned on the high end, it is present in 40 countries, with hundreds of villages and the cruise ship, Club Med 2. [...]
[...] The Group has 6.5 million customers of which 48% were French and in 2003/2004, the group achieved a consolidated turnover of 1,135 million The sustainable development policy aims to reduce the ecological footprint. The objectives of this policy are: - Establish an environmental progress including the establishment of a pilot site in Belle Dune, where WWF-France and Pierre & Vacances have been identified as the main impacts - Educate and raise awareness of the environment its employees and customers. The concept of sustainable development is addressed within the site of the Pierre & Vacances Property. [...]
[...] Communication : Accor is likely, in view of benchmarking, to be the tourism company that communicates most on the theme of sustainable development. The website is provided with information. It can also be accessed from this activity report of the group in which sustainable development is a relatively important. However, as we have already seen several times, it is sometimes difficult to disentangle what is actually part of a strategy for sustainable development and the self-promotion group values. In fact, Accor, through its website and its report, sometimes seems to confuse sustainable development with a huge "hot oven" of information. [...]
[...] Positive aspects: - Accor hotels trying to integrate into local society.The group relies on mediators rather than resorting to repression Negative aspects: - The action is carried out only in the Etap Hotel, and not on all hotels of the group - The well-being of clients is a strategic element that has no direct link with the concept of sustainable development in the sense that every hotel aims to make the stay pleasant to customers - Quality of Service (QoS) For Accor, the service quality should be measured with the aim to satisfy a broad clientele.Thus, the group has invested 1.4 million euros in 2004, and more than euros in 2003 in this area.Quality is measured on three elements: Products and equipment Abilities and skills of employees Listening to customers Specifically: - Accor is committed, through the initiative of the Ibis brand, in a process of labeling on several hotels in France.The national label "Tourism and Handicap", has been awarded for one, two, three or four disabilities (hearing, mental, motor and visual), and provides descriptive information and the objective of accessibility of sites and tourist facilities. [...]
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