17 / 28
Ms. Helen Köpman, Deputy Head of Unit Digital
Innovation and Blockchain at the European Commission,
addressing HOTREC’s General Assembly, 16 May 2019
Mr. William Day, Fellow of the University of Cambridge
Institute for Sustainability Leadership, Sustainability
Advisor to PwC UK and Chair of the Sainsbury’s
Foundation Advisory Board
2018
|
2019 HOTREC ANNUAL REPORT
|
17
Sustainability at the forefront of HOTREC General
Assembly
During its HOTREC’s 77th General Assembly held in Krakow on 18-
19 October 2018, HOTREC welcomed as a guest speaker Mr. Will
Day, Fellow of the University of Cambridge, Institute for Sustainability
Leadership and Sustainability Advisor to PwC UK to discuss the
challenges raised by climate change, its consequences on human
development and the world economy and its implications for the
tourism sector.
Recalling the international scientific consensus that climate change
is man-made, Mr. Day stressed that ambitious actions are needed to
ensure that global warming is kept below 2 degrees Celsius above
pre-industrial levels, as per the Paris climate agreement signed by
174 States and the EU. This will impact all sectors alike. He stressed
that the hospitality sector will also have to take its fair share of the
global community efforts. In particular, there are many simple actions
that hospitality businesses can do to reduce drastically their carbon
footprint in a cost efficient way, through a reduced energy consumption,
a better menu management or the prevention of un-necessary waste.
HOTREC members strongly welcomed this inspirational speech,
especially as HOTREC is already engaged in promoting a sustainable
tourism development through various actions aimed at raising energy
efficiency, preventing food waste or promoting a better management
of tourism flows.
Exploring with the European Commission digital
innovations potential for hospitality businesses
On the occasion of HOTREC’s 78th General Assembly held in Helsinki
on 16 May 2019, HOTREC Members discussed with Mrs. Helen
Köpman, Deputy Head of Unit in DG Connect (European Commission),
the latest disruptive technological developments at European level,
with a special focus on Blockchains and Artificial Intelligence.
Mrs. Köpman highlighted the wide possibilities for practical
implementation offered by these new technologies in various
industries. Despite many successful applications across various
sectors of the economy, there are still technical and regulatory
challenges to be solved in order to fully exploit their potential. HOTREC
Members exchanged views with Mrs. Köpman on the opportunities
these technologies offer for the hospitality sector, however highlighting
a few specific challenges, notably in terms of data security and
integrity, two areas which are extremely important for the reputation
of the industry. HOTREC will continue to follow the discussions around
these new digital technologies, as they offer huge potential for the
further development of the hospitality sector.