Sustainability ‘Essential’ for Hospitality

The vast majority (91%) of event industry representatives say sustainability is “essential” or “very important”, with 60% required to purchase “the most sustainable” product or service, according to a Cork Convention Bureau survey.

Almost 200 people attended the Bureau’s eighth annual business tourism showcase, “Keep Cork Meeting”, at Pairc Ui Chaoimh.

The event, which is Ireland’s longest running meetings and events expo, brought together a range of tourism service providers and event management experts and gave practical support and advice to those interested in bringing business tourism like conferences and events to the county.

The event industry representatives attending undertook a survey on the importance of sustainability in their business, and 91% reported that it was now essential or very important. 60% have a sustainable procurement policy, which requires them to purchase only sustainable or “the most sustainable” product or service. 65% of attendees were happy that Cork’s tourism and events sector places an emphasis on sustainability, with 23% stating that not enough has been done to date.

Visit Cork, the official tourism body for the Cork region with responsibility for attracting leisure (Pure Cork) and business tourists (Cork Convention Bureau), has a key focus on showcasing the region as a sustainable tourism destination. Cork continues to climb the Global Destination Sustainability Index (GDSI), where it is currently ranked 22nd in the world, thanks in part to the county’s Green for Micro programme which includes strict criteria on how Visit Cork operates all of its events sustainably. 

In addition, all business tourism clients who are hosting a conference or event in Cork will be presented with CSR (corporate social responsibility) options to support Cork social, environmental and economic causes, and a legacy and social impact programme will be put in place for all future events.  

In 2022, over 40 business events, from symposiums to large international conferences and global summits, brought an estimated 9,000 delegates to Cork, 80% of whom were international visitors. The value was estimated to be worth €14.4 million to the local economy.