Organised by HABITAT FUTURA, this initiative forms part of FITUR’s commitment to promoting tourism sustainability and efficiency, an aspect that will also feature prominently in the monographic sections of the trade fair known as FITURGREEN, FITURTECH and FITUR KNOW HOW & EXPORT
Madrid – The thirty-fifth staging of the International Tourism Trade Fair, FITUR 2015, an event organised by IFEMA that is due to take place between 28th January and 1nd February 2015 at Feria de Madrid, will present the first Rethink Hotel Competition, organised by HABITAT FUTURA. The projects that are selected for the Competition will be exhibited at the trade show. This new initiative, which seeks to recognise the best sustainable refurbishment projects in the hotel sector, reflects FITUR’s firm commitment to promoting technology as a means of boosting the sustainable and efficient development of the tourist industry, a policy that is already well established at the event through the specialised sections known as FITURGREEN, FITURTECH and FITUR KNOW HOW & EXPORT.
The Competition aims to show hotel businessmen the advantages of carrying out refurbishment projects at their hotels, projects that entail a more intelligent use of energy, with all the consequent economic and environmental benefits. We might also recall the fact that some 90% of travellers declare that they are interested in choosing a sustainable hotel. In this respect, implementing a refurbishment project endows the hotel with added value and enhances the establishment’s tourist appeal, making it more competitive.
This initiative, which enjoys the support and collaboration of the Spanish State Tourism Department, the Spanish Climate Change Office at the Ministry of Agriculture, Foodstuffs and the Environment, and the Institute for Energy Saving and Diversification (IDAE) at the Ministry for Industry, Energy and Tourism, will involve both the public and the private sectors, effectively encompassing the most important operators within the building and hotel sectors.
In an initial stage, the ten best projects will be chosen, based on the degree to which they fulfil a series of requirements aimed at reducing energy consumption through measures such as the following: architectural refurbishment; improved facing, insulation, roofing and sealants; more efficient air-conditioning and lighting systems and the reduction of water consumption. The ten projects that are selected shall be exhibited at FITUR 2015.
Subsequently, the Jury shall monitor the proper implementation of the refurbishment projects at these ten hotels, in accordance with the project presented for the Competition. The winning project will be the one that is best implemented. The Jury’s verdict shall be announced in January 2016, with the winner being the subject of a promotional video by Acca Media, the producer and creator of the programme, “Españoles por el Mundo” (“Spaniards Around the World”).
Hotels that wish to take part in Rethink Hotel have up until next 31st October to sign up for the Competition by sending in their request to registro@rethinkhotel.com. Terms and conditions are available at www.rethinkhotel.com.
