Geneva Tourism & Conventions Foundation
Geneva Tourism & Conventions Foundation: strategy for sustainable tourism
The Geneva Tourism & Conventions Foundation has been committed to sustainability for several years. In line with the sustainable development objectives adopted by the UN, in 2020 it approved a new strategy for the development of sustainable urban tourism in order to respond to current social, environmental and economic issues.
This strategy is based on 5 pillars:
- Accelerating the transition to a circular economy.
- Accelerating the transition to a post-carbon economy.
- Promoting local initiatives.
- Fostering a social and collective impact on the destination.
- Strengthening collaboration between tourism stakeholders.
In 2021, the Geneva Tourism & Conventions Foundation set up the following actions:
Pillar 1
Objective:
Reduce waste in the tourism sector by 30% by 2025 by applying the principles of the circular economy (5Rs).
Action:
Creation of a digital guide of good practices and alternatives to single use, for tourists & delegates attending conferences.
Key indicator:
Provision and promotion of a guide.
Pillar 2
Objective:
Reduce GHG emissions by 60% by 2030 compared to 1990.
Action:
Organisation of an awareness-raising workshop for tourism partners on the theme of local food.
Key indicator:
• Number of participants in the workshop: 5 Chefs (hotel restaurants).
• Overall satisfaction rate 90%.
Pillar 3
Objective:
Encourage, promote and support local events, products, crafts and know-how.
Action:
Regular promotion of Geneva events and local initiatives on our social networks.
Key indicator:
Number of publications on our social networks (minimum 12): Twelve publications have been posted on our social media (Instagram or Facebook) every 3rd Thursday of the month.
Pillar 4
Objective:
Working on accessibility and inclusion for all.
Action:
Implementation of incentives for hotel partners in the OK:GO initiative and provision of content on the geneve.com website to facilitate accessibility for all.
Key indicator:
Number of hotel partners that have signed up to the OK:GO initiative: minimum 20%, i.e. 27 hotels.
Results: 13 hotels registered for the initiative out of 135 (including hotel residences and B&Bs) = approx. 10% – target not reached as we had set 20%.
Pillar 5
Objective:
Increase by 50% the number of companies with an internal sustainable development policy.
Action:
Introduction of incentives for partners to join the Switzerland Tourism “Swisstainable” programme.
Key indicator:
Number of partners who have signed up to the programme: minimum 15 partners.
Results: In 2021, 22 partners have joined the programme, including 14 hotels. The target has therefore almost been reached.
Geneva is taking action for sustainable tourism
As a member of the Global Destination Sustainability Index, the Geneva Tourism & Conventions Foundation has been committed to sustainability for several years. In line with the Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the United Nations, in 2020 it approved a new strategy for the development of sustainable urban tourism in order to respond to current social, environmental and economic challenges.
GDS-Index
Geneva Tourism has been a member of the Global Destination Sustainability Index (GDS-Index) since 2016. The GDS-Index is a collaborative project between CEM, ICCA, IMEX and MCI to help destinations, event organisers and suppliers promote the adoption of sustainable practices in their city and in the global tourism industry.
The GDS-Index assesses destinations through the environmental, social, supplier and management performance of the destination. This assessment is used to rank destinations according to their sustainability performance. The index is a collection of best practices and provides a platform for exchange between destinations.
In 2021, Geneva had a GDS-Index benchmark of 67% while the world average is 61.7%.
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Geneva partner of MyClimate “Cause We Care”
MyClimate “Cause We Care” is an initiative for climate protection and sustainable tourism in Switzerland. It enables visitors to our destination to contribute to climate protection by offsetting the CO2 emissions generated during their visit. Thus, by purchasing a Geneva City Pass, a Choco Pass or one of our public tours, 1 CHF is automatically donated to “Cause We Care”.
In order to maximise its effect, the Geneva Tourism & Conventions Foundation doubles the contributions and donates an additional CHF 1.
Thanks to this fund, the FGT&C supports a project for the ecological management of waste in Kenya, a local environmental protection association and is involved in its own climate protection actions.
Accessibility with OK:GO
OK:GO promotes the provision of information on the accessibility of tourist facilities throughout Switzerland. The information should be up-to-date, uniform and easy to find for everyone.