On October 2nd Vireo srl organized a conference concerning the certifications according to the GSTC criteria (Global Sustainable Tourism Council) at the municipal hall of Sesto, Italy. Many speakers took part during the event with significant speeches about the sustainability in the tourism market, especially regarding hotel industry.
The event started with four main contributors: first, Luigi Cabrini (chairman of the GSTC) highlighted the environmental impacts of tourism. Then, Alexandra Mair (IDM South Tyrol) introduced the province’s commitment and talked about important future challenges to achieve sustainability.
The next two speeches involved Walter Holzer (Berghotel owner) and Daniele Bettiati (Vireo manager). Holzer shared his passion for sustainability by pointing out how certification according to the GSTC Criteria is an important achievement for the Berghotel. Bettiati described the certification process and the GSTC Criteria by giving practical examples of how the Criteria can be respected.
Then, Luigi Mazzaglia (CEO of Vireo) coordinated a roundtable, which involved Walter Holzer, Luigi Cabrini, Sabrina Talarico (Studio Eidos and President GIST) and David Raccanello (Hotel Consulting & Strategy). Several inputs and considerations were lifted and everyone agreed on how important it is for the hotels to be sustainable in a real and transparent way. In this way, certification according to the GSTC Criteria represents an important instrument to enhance the practical commitment of the hotels. Like Talarico claims, “Certification is a mark of credibility and quality, which concretely transmits the values of sustainability”. Everybody agreed on the importance of good communication concerning their environmental commitments.
The final part of the event was the official awarding of the Berghotel. Cabrini and Mazzaglia gave the GSTC certificate to the Berghotel. It is the second hotel certified in Europe and one of the first in the world. An important milestone for the Berghotel and for South Tyrol. Cabrini said “We are very proud at GSTC that Vireo is the first Italian certification body which wanted to join our program and the Berghotel is an excellent first example which we hope will be followed by many other hotels and destinations. Certification by a GSTC-Accredited Certification Body represents an international pass to promote the commitment to implementing and promoting the highest sustainability standards in the tourism sector”.
The event ended with a delicious buffet on the Berghotel’s terrace with the wonderful view of the Sesto Dolomites. It was a “special” buffet prepared by the chefs of the Berghotel also using the MSC-certified cod supplied by the company Boso from Trento. The MSC certification guarantees the sustainability of fishing. The initiative was carried out in partnership with MSC Italia.
