URBAN ECOTOURISM
Nature can be found where it is least expected. Cities, among the world’s most popular tourist destinations for decades, are increasingly emphasizing their green, natural areas to enhance their appeal and capitalise on their environmental assets. Concrete wastelands have become green oases, plants have sprouted on walls and rooftops and rusting infrastructure has blossomed into gardens. No two ways about it: green is gaining ground in cities — even in hotels!
Ecotourism is a form of sustainable tourism. Traditional ecotourism involves natural rather than urban environments, but lately that has been changing. Defining ecotourism is a big issue the most common definition is the one advocated by The International Ecotourism Society, which describes ecotourism as "Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people."
Urban ecotourism represents several advantages over ecotourism in remote areas in terms of:
- Environmental impacts; urban ecotourists use already existing infrastructures and transports. There is therefore no need to create infrastructures that disrupts the environmental value of remote areas.
- Restoration of natural areas; “conservational values can be restored and enhance the quality of the city while providing unique ecotourism experiences. Such project can create habitats for endangered species and support the reintroduction of regionally extinct species”.
- Interpretation and education; urban settings provide a wider target and thus promote sustainability at a greater scale and to all social backgrounds in order to change “attitudes and behaviours towards issues of conservation and protection”.
Financial viability
this type of ecotourism may generate more revenues as it attracts a wider audience and is usually less affected by seasonality than other types of tourism, which impacts on employment and revenues . Urban green tourism also offers advantages in term of destination marketing; urban green tourism is a way to enrich the offer and represents an added value when promoting a city. It is likely to attract a greater potential number of tourists than ecotourism as “many participants in urban ecotours are not ecotourists but rather a more generalist visitor-type. This rejoins the idea that urban ecotourism is a planning tool for sustainability as well. Accrued green spaces in a city improves the residents' well-being and it can also be used as a way to substitute a declining sector by green tourism or regenerate desindustrialised areas and find new uses for disused areas and buildings.
Traditional ecotourism gives tourists a chance to observe nature up close and enjoy its benefits. Urban ecotourism shares the same goals — but in the heart of the city. It could also be defined as a specific kind of tourism spawned by the growing number of green oases in big cities.
Contrary to popular belief, urban ecotourism has many advantages compared to its country cousin. Ecotourism in natural settings often requires building infrastructure to accommodate visitors. Although these facilities are often designed to have the smallest possible environmental impact, they can still damage the very places that people in search of communing with nature come to see. In cities, they already exist, and in sufficient number to cope with large crowds of visitors.
Moreover, traditional ecotourism appeals to people already aware of environmental and sustainable tourism issues. In contrast, urban ecotourism can raise the consciousness of tourists less attuned to these issues and introduce them to sustainable practices.
Urban ecotourism reconciles concrete and nature. Urbanites get more enjoyment out of their cities when they go around a corner and see trees, flowers, a beehive and a birdhouse back where they belong after having long been banished from their environment. Ecotourism rolls out the green carpet not just to mitigate air pollution, but sound and visual pollution as well.
The charms of city farmsA growing number of urbanites are players in their cities' green revolutions, planting flowers on the smallest available plots of land to brighten up their neighbourhoods. Some have even had the idea of reintroducing agriculture into the city: a flourishing concept that follows the locavore trend. Urban farming is booming. In addition to individual or community vegetable gardens cropping up here and there, actual farms are being created in cities today.
Green Hotels
Local kitchen gardens! The Group encourages hotels, whatever the available surface area, to cultivate a space and serve guests the harvested products. Fruits, vegetables, flowers and aromatic herbs as well as four beehives .
Concern for the environment is the focus around which was born and developed the GREEN HOTEL. Hotel at "zero-emission" and a landmark in terms of eco-sustainability.
Committed to reducing energy consumption and waste to begin from energy production without release of CO2 into the environment. A responsible and successful hotel project that helps protect the environment by making the stay of our guests eco-friendly without sacrificing comfort, luxury and exclusivity.
Some of the measures we take and share with guests:
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The adoption of water-to-water heat pumps for the production of heating and air conditioning, without any emission of pollutants.
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Automated and computerized air conditioning, controlled directly by our reception to avoid waste. Please contact our staff who will be happy to assist you.
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Biodegradable 99% complimentary toiletries in the bathrooms and recycled materials packaging in order to reduce the sources of pollution.
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The windows are equipped with magnetic contacts which, when open, stop the operation of the systems.
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The hotel makes use of a 100% electric motor car.
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The hotel restaurant uses ingredients “at km 100”.