EUROPE: Travel and tourism data intelligence firm Mabrian has published new analysis showing that 52 per cent of Portugal’s hotels obtained some level of sustainability certification.
Mabrian carried out analysis of 2,485 Portuguese hotels to coincide with last week’s Bolsa Turismo Lisboa travel market, where sustainability was a key theme.
The firm said that just over half of the hotels held at a minimum the basic level of good sustainability practices from one of the main OTAs (Booking, Expedia or TripAdvisor).
Mabrian said that the figure was “a significant percentage higher than in other countries”, although it did not provide evidence to back this up.
Of those hotels with certification, 58 per cent had what Mabrian referred to as “bronze level”, equating to the most basic level awarded by OTAs, with 31 per cent holding “silver” or intermediate level, and eight per cent holding the highest “gold” level.
It’s worth noting that just three per cent of all certified hotels had been audited by an external sustainability programme.
Several hotel groups including Motel One and Accor have committed to obtaining external sustainability certification for all of their properties.
Accor partners with Green Key and Green Globe for sustainability certification
The analysis found that certification levels rise according to hotel star level, with 71 per cent of five-star properties having obtained some level of certification, compared to 61 per cent for four-star hotels, and 41 per cent for three-star properties.
The study also sought to determine if there was a relationship between sustainability practices and the average price of accommodation. Mabrian said the data showed that prices were on average 19 per cent higher at properties holding some type of sustainability certification than at those without any certification.
Portugal’s second largest hotel group Vila Galé – which operates 31 hotels across the country – has obtained Green Key certification for several of its properties including Hotel Vila Galé Cascais and Hotel Vila Galé Nautico.
Last year the group signed an agreement with renewables company Greenvolt to install solar panels at over a third of its Portuguese hotels.
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