New Water Management Analysis to Help Asia-Pacific Tourism Industry Conserve Amid Growing Water Scarcity Concerns
ST. PAUL, Minn., March 22, 2013 /3BL Media/ – Water scarcity could severely limit the growth of the booming Asia-Pacific tourism industry, a new analysis shows. Currently water is used abundantly in hotel guest rooms, swimming pools, kitchens and restaurants, and in cooling towers for air conditioning. To continue its rapid growth, the hospitality industry in the Asia-Pacific region must adopt a leadership role in sustainable water management.
To help the hospitality industry improve its water practices, the EarthCheck Research Institute today issued the White Paper on Tourism and Water, a region-specific report detailing the implications of water quality, availability and cost for the Asia-Pacific tourism industry.
Developed by experts from Ecolab, EC3 Global, EarthCheck and Griffith University, the white paper also provides a global context for water stress and stewardship. The lack of access to clean drinking water is already a critical issue for many countries in the Asia-Pacific region. The region, already the world’s fastest-growing tourism destination, is expected to increase its population by 500 million within the next decade, increasing water stress and scarcity.
“Forward-looking hospitality businesses are working to address water consumption and minimize impacts to local communities,” said Dr. Raj Rajan, vice president of Research, Development and Engineering for Ecolab, and a prominent contributor to the white paper. “The white paper encourages hospitality businesses in the Asia-Pacific region to take a holistic systems approach to identifying and implementing water efficiency and conservation measures.”
The white paper offers strategies for examining operations and provides tactics for reducing consumption and inefficiencies in key areas of water use, such as optimizing laundry wash formulas and rinse cycles to reduce overall water consumption. In addition, benchmarks put forward in the white paper, including an average comparison of global water usage per guest night, and opportunities to reduce water use, can help organizations assess their progress.
“We took an active role in the development of the white paper because we have extensive experience helping our hospitality customers around the world conserve water and improve the sustainability of their operations,” said Rajan.
Dr. Rajan and Susanne Becken, professor of Sustainable Tourism at Griffith University, will present the findings of the white paper on World Water Day, March 22, at the Singapore International Water Festival.
To download the White Paper on Tourism and Water, visit www.ecolab.com.
About EC3 Global
EC3 Global is an international tourism and environmental management and advisory group that was developed by the Sustainable Tourism Cooperative Research Centre (STCRC), the world’s largest dedicated research centre, specializing in sustainable tourism and research. www.ec3global.com
About the EarthCheck Research Institute
The EarthCheck Research Institute (ERI) is a not-for-profit company whose goal is to be a leading international centre for scientific excellence in sustainable tourism. The institute focuses on scientific research, education and capacity building to solve real-world challenges. http://www.ec3global.com/about-us/research-inst.aspx
About Griffith University
Griffith University is a top ranking academic institution based in South East Queensland, Australia. Research on sustainable tourism is largely undertaken at the Centre for Tourism, Sport and Services Research, which is part of the Griffith Business School. Through its activities, the Centre links university-based researchers with the business sector and organizations, as well as local, state and federal government bodies.
www.griffith.edu.au/business-government/centre-tourism-sport-services-research
About Ecolab
A trusted partner at more than one million customer locations, Ecolab (ECL) is the global leader in water, hygiene and energy technologies and services that protect people and vital resources. With 2012 sales of $12 billion and 41,000 associates,
Ecolab delivers comprehensive solutions and on-site service to ensure safe food, maintain clean environments, optimize water and energy use and improve operational efficiencies for customers in the food, healthcare, energy, hospitality and industrial markets in more than 170 countries around the world. For more Ecolab news and information, visit www.ecolab.com.
Follow us on Twitter @ecolab or Facebook at facebook.com/ecolab.
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Contact:
Roman Blahoski
651-293-4385
MediaRelations@Ecolab.com
March 22, 2013
(ECL-C)
