Through the Hydro Sustainable Hotel Distinction, 400 million liters of water and 30 million pesos have been saved.
Although tourism is an activity that generates significant economic revenue in Mexico, it also has an important impact on the environment, especially because of its high water consumption due to the high traffic of people.
World Bank data show that the average annual per capita availability of this vital liquid went from 10,000 cubic meters of water in 1960 to 4,000 in 2002, and it is estimated that by 2023, it will drop below 3,000 per inhabitant per year.
A hotel can consume up to 840 liters of water per person per day, so more than an option, caring for this vital liquid is an urgent necessity.
"The water crisis is a problem that has afflicted the country for several years and the forecasts for the future are not encouraging. Taking into account the environment, we reinforce our commitment to promote the conservation and efficient use of water," said Jorge Barbará Martín, president of the Helvex Foundation.
As part of the effort to raise awareness of the rational use of this resource, the Alliance for Water Sustainability in Tourism is carrying out the 2023 Edition of the Distinctive Hydro Sustainable Hotel, to recognize and encourage good environmental practices in hotels.
Since its presentation in 2011, the hotels that have been awarded the distinctive have generated savings of more than 400 million liters of water, which translates into around 30 million pesos.
Throughout these years, a total of 430 hotels have participated; for the 2023 edition, the goal is to have 100 participants.
Considering that there are more than 24,000 lodging establishments in Mexico, participation in the sustainable actions promoted by the Helvex Foundation is considerably low.
Alma Meneses, general manager of Fundación Helvex, explained that this is due to a lack of awareness and norms that promote and regulate good environmental practices in the industry.
"As there are no regulations on sustainability in the sector, participation is to some extent low. More awareness is needed. We are looking for alliances with hotel associations in different states so that this can grow," said Meneses.
Approximately 80% of the candidates for the award are large hotel chains such as Grupo Posadas and CityExpress, so the specialist emphasized that the challenge is to increase the integration of independent establishments, which have lower recovery quotas and indicators.
The Distinctive Hydro Sustainable Hotel is endorsed by the Alliance for Water Sustainability in Tourism, formed by organizations specialized in tourism and sustainability, such as:
Hotels wishing to obtain the distinction have until April 28th. Registration can be made at www.distintivo.fundacionhelvex.org.