This food waste awareness will increase the pressure on companies operating in the travel and tourism industries

  • Reducing or recycling food waste is a priority due to the COVID-19 pandemic
  • The initiatives currently in place to combat food waste from tourism are insufficient
  • Removing large buffets in hotels would go a long way towards eliminating food waste completely

Just over half of global respondents in a new industry survey said reducing or recycling food waste is a priority for them due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This food waste awareness will increase pressure on businesses in the travel and tourism sectors.

In terms of environmental policy, there are numerous initiatives to combat climate change and reduce the carbon footprint, but the increasingly pressing problem of food waste is not equally addressed. This increases the operating costs for hotels and weakens the environmental friendliness.

The initiatives currently in place to combat food waste from tourism are insufficient, especially when looking specifically at the accommodation industry. As one of many examples, Hilton has pledged to cut food waste by 50%, but not before 2030, which is quite a long time.

With COVID-19 The environmental targets should be exceeded and brought forward as the occupancy rate of many key players in the accommodation industry is staggering. For example, removing large buffets in hotels would go a long way in eliminating food waste completely. However, as industry becomes increasingly fragmented, new challenges related to food waste arise. For example, the advent of the sharing economy in the lodging industry has placed greater responsibility on guests when it comes to food waste. Waste in private accommodations cannot be managed as thoroughly as in hotels as it would negatively affect the guest experience.

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