The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance (SHA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding committing both organisations to closer collaborative working, focusing on improving the environmental and social impact of the global hospitality industry.
Through the partnership, WTTC and SHA have pledged to promote a united voice for a more sustainable future for the hospitality industry, cooperating on new research projects to foster understanding of the latest in sustainability innovation.
Both will also work together to raise awareness of new initiatives and success stories, launch new commissions and advisory bodies, further advance understanding of innovation and key sustainability indicators and partner on critical issues such as youth employability, human trafficking, and climate action.
Julia Simpson, president & CEO, WTTC said: “The Sustainable Hospitality Alliance has been a valuable supporter of our Hotel Sustainability Basics which are the first step in the ladder to advance sustainability in the industry. Although the hospitality industry has transformed dramatically in recent years, we recognise that there is still more that we can do together.
“Our collective efforts will enable the hospitality industry to continue moving towards a greater positive impact through this new partnership.”
Glenn Mandziuk, CEO, SHA said: “We are proud to be partnering with WTTC on promoting sustainable growth. This partnership combines the Alliance’s sector-specific expertise with WTTC’s scale and reach to enable both our organisations to enhance collective impact across the industry and drive progress further towards net positive hospitality.
Mandziuk is positive about the future potential of both organisations working together having previously partnered with WTTC on the Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative.
As an advocate and strong supporter of Gold Coast’s tourism industry, O’Callaghan will continue to promote the destination and the wider Queensland tourism economy in her new role.
Far East Hospitality (FEH) is planning to enter Indonesia with its Oasia and Quincy brands, with Bali, Jakarta and Surabaya as its initial target locations.
The plan is part of the strategic alliance which the Singapore-based company signed with Indonesia’s Artotel Group last year. Under the partnership both companies will collaborate across operations, cross-branding exposure and training as well supporting business growth across markets.
Speaking on the partnership at a media round-table in Jakarta recently, Arthur Kiong, CEO of FEH Management said: “Singapore and Indonesia are key inbound markets for our respective sector. As such we see strong synergies for both countries.”
To develop the business in Indonesia, Kiong said he needed Artotel’s expertise to accelerate the process.
“We don’t presume to come in here to do the job…by ourselves. Pak Erastus and his team are an ideal partner…as they understand the connection, have the network, and (speak) the language,” he explained.
On the other hand, Erastus Radjimin, founder and CEO of Artotel Group said: “We may be strong in Indonesia but we are nobody overseas, while FEH is huge. We have never run more than 50 hotels before, while they have.”
On the choice of hotels to enter Indonesia, Kiong said both hotel brands provide unique offerings in the market. He shared how Quincy was “designed for the non-conformist travellers – people who do not want to follow traditional hotel rules”, where guests have the freedom to check-in and out, and enjoy coffee tea and snacks at the lobby any time they want.
As for Oasia, Kiong said: “Indonesia has a reputation as a wellness destination and natural attractions (so) we want to bring our brand here. We want to be here to bring yet another differentiator (to the existing variety of wellness products) with a practical or very pragmatic delivery of wellness.”
Meanwhile, Artotel Group is aiming to flag its brand in the region while providing a platform for Indonesian talents to gain international experience and exposure through the collaboration with FEH.
Erastus said: “(With FEH assistance), we want to export our brands to Singapore as well as Japan, Malaysia and Vietnam – destinations where FEH has set to grow its business into.”