Dubai hotels must meet sustainable goals by July 1, says authority

Dubai's tourism authority has set the deadline of July 1 for all hotels in the city to meet its Sustainability Requirements.

The 19 sustainable criteria outlined by Dubai Sustainable Tourism (DST) include energy, food and water management plans, guest education, employee training initiatives and the presence of sustainability committees within hotel establishments, as well as corporate social responsibility programmes for local communities.

The directive by Dubai's Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, also known as Dubai Tourism, will support the emirate's Carbon Abatement Strategy 2021 target to reduce overall carbon emissions by 16 per cent by 2021.

“We know that tourism can also be an area where Dubai truly sets the benchmark at a global level with forward-thinking sustainability and corporate social responsibility practices,” said Yousuf Lootah, vice chairman of Dubai Sustainable Tourism.

Hotels must also resume monthly submission of carbon emission drivers, Dubai Tourism added.

The Carbon Calculator, established in 2017, has been measuring the carbon footprint within Dubai’s hospitality sector.

Every month, hotels submit their consumption of 11 carbon emission sources, including electricity, district cooling, water and waste for analysis. This information is aggregated and analysed to provide valuable industry insights on the sector’s collective carbon footprint.

In 2019, Dubai Tourism led by DST trained 528 hotels on the implementation of sustainability standards.

The deadline to meet DST's Sustainability Requirements was extended in 2020 owing to the coronavirus pandemic and its effects on the tourism sector.

As well as a refresher webinar, DST will be hosting additional virtual information sessions for all hotels between next Sunday and Thursday, May 27 on Sustainability Requirements. Those interested to participate can contact dst@dubaitourism.ae.