HAI mulls incentives for hotel operators to adopt sustainable practices

Hotel Association of India is considering asking government to provide incentives to small hotel operators for adopting sustainability practices, according to its Secretary General MP Bezbaruah.

While big luxury and five star operators are leading from the front on adopting sustainability practices, the smaller members of Hotel Association of India (HAI) are lagging behind due to cost issues of taking up the initiatives, he told PTI.

"We have the big five star and luxury hotels with records which are exemplary and have been leading the world but we want it to flow down the line to get the smaller members (join the sustainability drive)," Bezbaruah said.

HAI has tried to encourage its members and non-members into globally accepted certification programmes of sustainability, he said, however adding,"Some of these practices can be costly and may not be cost effective for many smaller hotels."  When asked if HAI is looking for government support for the hospitality industry to adopt sustainable practices, he said,"We are primarily thinking of incentives...If someone has taken up sustainability practices such as water management, recycling or use of plastics, the government can provide incentives by way of reduced taxations...that sort of incentive, I think is possible."  The hospitality industry association is working with various international collaborators about the best global practices, he said, adding,"In the course of time we will look at what other governments are doing".

Bezbaruah said unless the smaller members also adopt the green practices, it will be difficult for the hospitality industry to meet its sustainability goals.

Under its Vision 2047, HAI expects the hotel industry to become completely sustainable by 2047 and the industry will follow the 'three-zero-concept' -- zero kilometres (use of local resources), zero carbon emissions, and zero waste generation.

"We are trying to reach out to them (smaller hotel operators). Look at their problems, analyse them and take it with the government if we give them facilities for sustainable practices," he added.

While HAI cannot set targets for the smaller members, Bezbaruah said, "We are encouraging all of them to set targets themselves voluntarily. We are suggesting that the global agencies will provide the benchmarks for making assessments for those targets."  The smaller members have to be motivated, given encouragement and incentives to adopt sustainable practices.The first target for HAI is to create awareness and to get commitment on sustainability from them, he said, adding, "It is not that they are unable to do it."  "What we have said is that at the macro level it has been shown that sustainable practices are quite cost effective, it gives results in the long term," Bezbaruah said.