The document discusses the importance of sustainable tourism certification in Africa, focusing on water and waste management practices in hotels. It outlines a comprehensive framework for measuring and improving environmental performance, offering several case studies of certified hotels and their benefits. Recommendations for the African Development Bank include promoting policy development, providing support for certification, and enhancing training for government and hotel staff.

1. {
African Development Bank Group (AfDB)
African Natural Resources Centre (ANRC)
Sustainable tourism certification in Africa:
Water and waste practices by hotels
Dr Tarek AHMED, ANRC, AfDB
t.ahmed@afdb.org Tel.: +225 2026 3028
8 November 2016, COP22, Morocco

2. {
Why are we here today?

4. UNEP and UNWTO (2012)

5. { Water
Supply &
Sanitation
Agriculture
& Fisheries
Energy
Transpor-
tation
Livelihoods
Tourism
Ecosystem
Services
Optimization
Benefit Sharing
Water Resources
Climate Change
Population Growth
What are we trying to achieve?
& other
industries

6. There is a need for an environmental display which
aims at monitoring and categorizing the hotel guests’
consumption of water and waste, so that each hotel
will end up having its environmental label.
This could be translated in costs per guest per night,
which will allow government officials, in a later phase,
to determine the gains from reducing each hotel
guests’ environmental consumption.
Nothing can be controlled
without being measured

7. Program
Presentation: Situational analysis - Sustainable tourism
certification in Africa – Dr Anna Spenceley, AfDB consultant; Chair
IUCN WCPA Tourism and Protected Areas Specialist Group
Panel discussion: Moderator – Dr Tarek Ahmed, AfDB
• Mr Jean Michel Ossete, African Water Facility /Ag. Coordinator,
African Water Facility
• Mr. Emad Hassan, Sustainable Tourism Certification Alliance
Africa/Ministry of Tourism
• Mr Oseloka Zikora, African Minister’s Council on Water
(AMCOW)/Program Coordinator and Head of Communications
• Mr Ahmed Abou Elseoud, CEO, Egyptian Environmental
Affairs Agency
• Dr Anna Spenceley, AfDB consultant
Plenary discussion

8. {
Situational analysis: Sustainable
tourism certification in Africa:
Water and waste practices by hotels
Dr Anna Spenceley, COP22, Morocco, 8 November 2016
Consultant, ANRC, AfDB
Chair IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA)
Tourism and Protected Areas Specialist Group

9. UNEP & GIZ, 2003: Fig 1; Pixabay
Hotels – water and waste

10. What can certification do?
Rewarding good practices:
• Improve efficiency and reduce operating costs
• Increase sales
• Gain credible independent recognition
• Identify ways to improve internal management
Meeting obligations:
• Demonstrate compliance with legal requirements
• Comply with tour operator standards and requirements
ITP, 2016; Travel Foundation, undated;
Green Star Hotel Program

11. Hotel Certification in Africa
African certification
programs
International certification
programs

12. {
24
68
153
129
1
8
13
6
44
89
1
13
118
27
1
7
1
11
(MOROCCO)
1

13. What people say about
certification in Africa
“Government needs to promote energy, water and waste audits among
tourism businesses so that they start understanding the benefits of
sustainable tourism and then get certification ready.”
“Most businesses don’t relate their expenses with the cost of certification –
hence they are unable to see the Return On Investment (ROI) ratio that
certification does produce”.

14. Waste criteria in certification
Criteria categories: ITC Standards Map; Images Pixabay

15. Waste criteria examples
“The tourism business implements a waste management plan which has
quantitative goals to minimize waste produced as well as to re-use,
recycle or effectively dispose of it.”
“All waste storage needs to be well contained within appropriate
structures, with a solid floor to prevent leakage and soil contamination /
chemical pollution”
“The enterprise waste management plan includes a plan to reduce
pollution from refrigerants, used fuel, paints, and large batteries and
there is evidence of implementation of this plan”
“The business shall develop, implement and manage a Noise & Nuisance
Management Document which addresses all sources of noise emanating
from its operational activities.”

16. Water criteria in certification
Criteria categories: ITC Standards Map; Images Pixabay

17. Water criteria examples
“A guest towel and linen reuse program is operated during the tour and
staff receive instruction on the implementation of the program.”
“The facility disposes of its waste water in a responsible manner, with no
discharge of any raw effluent into the environment.”
“If you do not have a dry or entirely natural garden, do you use grey
water (from laundry, showers, and hand basins) for irrigation?”
“Quality of freshwater supply is controlled monthly and documented by
external organization (pH- value, chlorine, total dissolved solids).”

18. What incentives exist?

19. Effective new incentives?
Incentives need -
 Short pay-back periods – e.g. water saving devices
 Sufficient returns – i.e. enough to change behaviour
 Appropriate scale – i.e. size of hotel

20. Training needed
For government departments (n=36) For hotels (n=36)
Manuals and guidelines on water and waste management already exist

21. Case studies

22. Case study 1: Travelife
• 131 hotels certified in Africa:
• Egypt (57), Tunisia (31), Morocco (16),
Mauritius (12), Cabo Verde (7), Kenya (4),
Tanzania (2), South Africa (1) and the Gambia
(1)
• Market incentive
• Travelife Collection links certified hotels to 30
tour operators and travel agents promoting
sustainable holidays
• Collaboration
• Work with ABTA, The Travel Association, and
the Travel Foundation on the ‘Make Holidays
Greener campaign’

23. Case study 2: Green Hotel Star
 76 certified hotels in Egypt
 Criteria:
 Waste criteria: 9 mandatory, 6 optional
 Water criteria: 15 mandatory, 7 optional
 Ministry of Tourism launching a package
of incentives – including funds for
technologies
 Innovation in hotels: portable sprinklers
(Iberotel Lido), pool backwash water for
irrigation (Three Corners Rihana)

24. Case study 3: Wilderness
 48 camps owned or managed in 6
countries: East Africa (Seychelles),
Southern Africa (Botswana, Namibia,
South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe). In
2015 also in Central Africa (DRC)
 Integrated reporting:
 Certification:
 53% reduction bottle water since 2012
(467,485 fewer)
 Increase in camps recycling from 7%
in 2012 to 47% in 2016

25. Case study 4: KAZA TFCA
 Kavango Zambezi TFCA treaty
between Angola, Botswana, Namibia,
Zambia and Zimbabwe
 Incentive for certification: Eligible for
inclusion in Futouris catalogue & Fair
Trade Holidays
 25 new lodge certifications in 1 year
(with water and waste criteria) in
Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe
 Handbook on Sustainable Supply
Chain Management due 2016
 Challenge of destination with small
lodges (<20 rooms) for tour operators

26. Case study 5: Constance Ephelia
 313 room resort on Mahe,
Seychelles
 Certified twice:
 In 2015:
 Waste reduction saved Ephelia USD
17,100 in landfill and transport
costs
 10 staff received USD4,763 for
recyclables they collected
 Bottle water from reverse osmosis
was 54% of all drinking water –
saving 200,000 plastic bottles

27. Certification:
 Sufficient tourism certification programmes in Africa (18 operating)
 Comprehensive criteria for waste and water in certification programs
 Regional program to integrate sustainability criteria in star-ratings
 But - very few hotels in Africa have been certified – less than 3.4%
Incentives:
 Cost savings incentivise certification, good waste and water management
 Tax allowances and more information would encourage more
certification, and better waste & water management
Training and tools:
 Many tools and guidance documents exist - but are not well known
 Training is needed for government and hotels - workplace based
Key findings:

28. Recommendations for AfDB support:
•Policy gap analysis for AfDB member states on incentives for water and waste
management, and certification.
•Guidance on incentive development and mainstreaming options - with technical
support and mentoring
•Generic and country-specific guidance on policy and regulation establishment,
including inclusion of sustainability criteria in star-rating programs
•Backstopping through incentive design, establishment, piloting and scaling up
Services to
governments
•Research to support decision making: Return On Investment from certification, water
and waste management; Case studies; Best practices; Incentives.
•Disseminate research and other tools by establishing an online resource library.
•Conduct a systematic analysis to describe and quantify the collective impact of
certification on overall water and waste management in Africa.
Knowledge
development
•Increase in-house and/or outsourced technical support to AfDB to support member
states.
•Raise awareness of the benefits of sustainable tourism certification - for governments
and hotels.
•Country-specific strategies for establishing/scaling up training for relevant
government staff and hotel representatives.
•Training of trainers in AfDB countries to establish national-level expertise
•Mentoring and backstopping as needed by member states.
Capacity
building
•Develop strategic partnerships with multilaterals, bi-laterals, NGOs and existing
networks to promote networking and linkages between bodies working on certification,
waste and water management.
Coordination
& cooperation

29. Panel & plenary questions
• How do we ensure sustainability in exploiting water
resources in hotels?
• Do you think certification would be the only answer to
improving waste/water management? What other options
are there?
• What policy incentives does your country already have?
What is needed to improve their effectiveness?
• If there is no policy incentive, do you want to work with the
AfDB and others to design/initiate new programs?
• What support does your country need from the AfDB to
mainstream certification & improve water/waste
management in hotels

30. Panel discussion & plenary
Moderator – Dr Tarek Ahmed, AfDB
Participants:
• Mr Jean Michel Ossete, African Water Facility /Ag.
Coordinator, AfDB
• Mr. Emad Hassan, Sustainable Tourism Certification
Alliance Africa/Ministry of Tourism
• Mr Oseloka Zikora, African Minister’s Council on Water
(AMCOW)/Program Coordinator and head of
Communications
• Mr Ahmed Abou Elseoud, CEO, Egyptian Environmental
Affairs Agency
• Dr Anna Spenceley, AfDB consultant
Plenary discussion

31. Thank you!
Dr Tarek AHMED
t.ahmed@afdb.org Tel.: +225 2026 3028
Dr Anna Spenceley www.anna.spenceley.co.uk
annaspenceley@gmail.com Phone: +248 256 4559