We have all heard about sustainable tourism at some point. For Huespeding, in fact, it is a priority when it comes to highlighting with our quality seal those accommodations that make this commitment. But what exactly is sustainable tourism? Are there organisations that consider or regulate this type of practice? Let’s see what currently exists and how actions are taken in the Costa del Sol area to promote this type of tourism.
The International Network of Sustainable Tourism Observatoriese
Behind this acronym is the World Tourism Organization, formally linked to the United Nations. INSTO (International Network of Sustainable Tourism Observatories) was created in 2004 to address this new need: to support sustainability and resilience in the tourism sector. INSTO has the following priorities
- Systematically and organisedly monitoring the impact of tourism in cities where this sector is particularly strong.
- Advancing in this direction so that the cities adhering to this network become examples for future cities, convening annual meetings to exchange experiences.
- Connecting destinations committed to sustainable tourism.
- Promoting the circular economy in cities where this sector has greater development and a dynamic that consists of offering the best experience to visitors while preserving the area for residents in the best possible conditions.
Málaga joined this network in 2022. The data speaks for itself, positioning the city as a true driver of the economy through tourism: in 2023, more than one and a half million tourists visited the capital of the Costa del Sol, making 3.2 million overnight stays. With such figures, it makes sense to promote sustainable tourism that is responsible for the environment and the resident population.
What is Málaga doing to promote this type of tourism… and city?
In this regard, and beyond words, it is interesting to know what the city is doing to promote it in terms of sustainability. The Málaga Sustainable project has been developing in recent years. Within this framework, more than 70 actions have been carried out, documented in a report, from which we highlight some of the main ones:
Efficient water management: three out of every four meters are smart, essential for better monitoring of consumption.
- Reduction of carbon footprint by almost 40% in 2020 compared to previous years.
- Reduction of emissions from beach cleaning tractors by 30%.
- Reuse of cleaning containers by municipal services and use of concentrated products to reduce plastic usage.
- Constant monitoring of air quality.
- Noise monitoring, with the declaration of acoustically saturated areas, limitation of hospitality hours, and increased street surveillance.
- School awareness campaigns.
- Actions to protect and promote biodiversity and a canine identification programme by DNA.
- Reforestation and combating desertification
Sustainability is everyone’s business, but promoting policies that encourage it is essential so that both tourists and regular citizens continue on this path.
