President of the Professional Hotel Managers Association (POYD) Hakan Saatçioğlu shared insights with Fikri Cinokur at the Tourism Days regarding all-inclusive package holidays and sustainability.
Saatçioğlu emphasized the need for developing new strategies in energy efficiency and waste management within the context of all-inclusive practices for sustainability in tourism. He stated, "There are hotels that continuously improving this system in Türkiye. However, it is time for hoteliers to collectively establish and regulate a strategy, considering the content and rules of the all-inclusive concept alongside sustainability, while marketing this concept domestically and internationally."
"It is against sustainability"
Saatçioğlu pointed out the varying dining habits of guests coming to all-inclusive hotels from different countries, noting a contradiction between sustainability and the all-inclusive system. He explained, "In hotels, the cost of all food and beverages consumed by guests is a predetermined expense for the establishments because guests pay for their consumption upfront upon entry. Particularly in tourism, especially in all-inclusive settings, the waste of food and beverages left on tables contradicts sustainability. As hoteliers, if we do not review and redefine the rules of the all-inclusive concept, I believe that in the coming years, we will not be able to maintain our position in conscious societies and European countries where we excel in the all-inclusive concept."
"7.7 million tons of processed food wasted"
Highlighting the necessity of redefining these rules for Türkiye to maintain its position and increase its value-added in all-inclusive tourism, Hakan Saatçioğlu continued:
"Establishing new strategies in all-inclusive practices does not mean compromising quality or reducing product variety. The aim is to create awareness against waste. According to a UN report in 2021, each person in Türkiye wastes 93 kg of processed food annually. This translates to 7.7 million tons of processed food wasted per year. Unfortunately, Türkiye ranks among the countries with the highest food waste globally. We need to intensify awareness efforts for ourselves and our employees both in our personal and professional lives regarding this matter."
