Jet2holidays is preparing to show the sustainability credentials of its hotel partners in response to growing consumer interest.
Jet2 chief executive Steve Heapy said a new section would be added to the Jet2holidays website in the coming weeks to showcase performance against the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) criteria.
“The number of searches for ‘sustainable hotels’ and ‘guilt-free hotels’ is growing massively,” said Heapy, who added that the numbers were small but the percentage growth has been significant.
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Heapy spoke approvingly of Turkey, host of this year’s Jet2holidays VIP conference, where all hotels are being instructed to meet the GSTC criteria.
“All Turkish hotels will be GSTC level one-compliant by the end of the year, GSTC level two by 2025 and level three by 2030,” said Heapy, who predicted that the Turkish hotels would “set a trend” and lead to similar efforts elsewhere.
During the same panel session at Travel Weekly’s Sustainability Summit, both Heapy and Hurtigruten Group chief executive Daniel Skjeldam issued warnings to destinations which have allowed Airbnb accommodation to spread widely.
Skjeldam, who is also chief executive of Hurtigruten Expeditions (HX), described Airbnb as a “nuisance” and called for regulators to “wake up”.
He added: “Any city allowing Airbnb to spread is in dire risk of destroying their community.”
Heapy described Airbnb as “very damaging”, adding that it has pushed up housing prices.
He said Ibiza has seen accommodation costs go “through the roof”, meaning crucial workers cannot afford to live there.
“We support the hotel industry and take people to hotels,” Heapy said.
Skjeldam added: “Travel is a force for good, but we need to do it in the right way.”