What Asian Hotels Are Doing

[Introduction]: "Tourism is often not as noticeable as an impact when stories of coal plants and oil field fill the news; however, this does not mean they do not have a significant impact on an area’s natural resources, infrastructure, and social and cultural environment. Many destinations, such as Singapore, for instance, receive three visitors a year for every permanent resident (about 17 million tourists per year compared with 5 million residents), a ratio that would strain the social and environmental carrying capacity of many destinations. Looking at just one resource—water—shows the need for sustainability to become commonplace. Hotels pay for wat er twice—once to bring it in and once to dispose of it. A three-star hotel uses the equivalence of approximately 350 l per guest per night—the same amount as a rural village uses for 100 homes. A luxury five-st ar hotel such as the Shangri-La in Singapore uses the equivalent of 1,800 l of water per guest per night. In many Corporate Responsibility reports, a “best practice” for potable water is 3,413 l per guest per night, however, in a destination that has major water issues such as Singapore; this is hardly to be considered a best practice."