Resilience and sustainability are essential for the tourism of tomorrow

The 17th of February has become an important date for everyone in the tourism industry. In 2023, the United Nations General Assembly officially made this Global Tourism Resilience Day, reminding us that we are fortunate to work in the world's leading economic sector, which has proven time and again its ability to adapt and overcome any circumstance that arises.

According to the World Tourism Organization's initial figures for the year, international tourism ended 2023 at 88% of the level recorded before the pandemic (primarily due to the Asian continent's slow recovery as an outbound market), with an estimated 1.3 billion foreign tourists. Therefore, we can conclude that the tourism industry is recovering and its future looks promising. Beyond the industry's ability to adapt to change—and the growing need to travel—tourism plays a fundamental role as a transformative element for people's lives and the planet. The Barcelo Hotel Group has shaped this role into Barceló ReGen, our sustainability strategy aimed at promoting regenerative and responsible tourism, focusing our efforts on positively impacting the destinations where we operate and contributing to local economic development by creating jobs, using natural resources efficiently and partnering with vendors in the region.

Within the framework of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, our Barceló ReGen strategy defines the roadmap, serving as an unprecedented opportunity and a responsibility to align our corporate goals with those of equity and sustainability. A concern shared by the industry and travellers is the desire to improve and travel in a way that is more ethical and committed to the planet.

To protect the legacy and future of our company, we must continue to promote collaborative leadership that stimulates everyone who forms part of the Barceló team. Therefore, one of our top goals is to bolster our sustainability strategy through the Ser Barceló corporate management system, whose standards were recently verified by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC). This extraordinary recognition makes us the first Spanish hotel chain whose sustainability standards are backed by the GSTC. With this ambitious corporate transformation project, we aim to consolidate our commitment to having a positive impact on the destinations where we operate and supporting fair economic development by taking care of people and the environment.

Throughout the more than 90 years we have spent defining tourism through innovation, we have always stayed true to our fundamental values of protecting destinations, the surrounding area and the community. This is all thanks to the individuals who work hard to continue bringing joy to everyone who chooses us as the setting for their most memorable moments. I cannot think of a better day to reflect on the future of tourism and address the opportunities and challenges the industry will face in the coming years.