GAIA Hotel

Boosting Sustainable Tourism Through Certification

EUROPEAN GOOD PRACTICE COLLECTION 2021

NOMINATION FORM

Please send until 6^th August 2021 to (herbert.hamele@ecotrans.de / cc diego.nunez@ecotrans.de)

NOMINATING CERTIFICATE

GAIA Hotel

Contact Person:

Philip Moser <sales@gaiahotel.ch>

NOMINATED BUSINESS

GAIA Hotel

Internet contact

www.gaiahotel.ch

Size of business (if known)

Small (from 10 to 49)

Category

Serviced accommodation

Country

Switzerland

Destination, with related protected area(s)

Name of the destination: Basel

Name of protected area(s) and/or major cultural heritage site(s) (if not the same name as the destination): =

Contact Person at the nominated business

Philip Moser <sales@gaiahotel.ch>

OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTIONS

according to following SDGs on Tourism4SDGs.org:

Please indicate very briefly their exemplary or innovative actions and measurable achievements (including quantified results if known)

SDG 12 - Responsible Consumption and Production

The tourism sector needs to adopt sustainable consumption and production (SCP) modes, accelerating the shift towards sustainability. Tools to monitor sustainable development impacts for tourism including for energy, water, waste, biodiversity and job creation will result in enhanced economic, social and environmental outcomes.

Exemplary or innovative actions:

•    Certified BIO HOTELS member since 2018

•    exclusive use of organic products (up to 3 exceptions per hotel possible; these are clearly visible to the guest)

•    min. 75% of the wines and spirits must come from organic cultivation

•    certified organic and natural cosmetics throughout

•    comprehensive resource management through mandatory CO2 certification

•    exclusive use of recycled paper or primary fiber paper from sustainable forest management

•    100% green electricity

•    Standards: https://www.biohotels.info/media/64783/bio-hotles-standards-2021-en-2142329.pdf

•    Inspected by bio inspecta

•    exclusive use of organic products, moreover mostly regional

•    Public interest company

•    For over 90 years, the Geyer family has run the former Hotel St. Gotthard. In 2015, the GAIA Hotel was repositioned by the sisters Selinda and Natalie Geyer as a zero-waste and BIO HOTEL.

Measurable achievements:

SDG 13 - Climate Action

Tourism contributes to and is affected by climate change. Tourism stakeholders should play a leading role in the global response to climate change. By reducing its carbon footprint, in the transport and accommodation sector, tourism can benefit from low carbon growth and help tackle one of the most pressing challenges of our time.

Exemplary or innovative actions:

•    At the breakfast buffet, special attention is paid to regionality, organic production and little packaging: The butter comes as a large piece, the yogurt in glass bowls on the buffet. If bread is left over, the elephants at the zoo are happy about it. And the start-up "Stadtpilze" (city mushrooms) takes the coffee grounds and grows saplings on them. The rest of the organic waste is turned into energy and humus in a biogas plant.

•    Disposable slippers made from 100 % biodegradable materials

•    Bamboo toothbrushes for guests instead of plastic

•    In the future, there should be no packaging at all in the bathroom by using dispensers. At the moment, the soap scraps are given to the SapoCycle association, which uses them to make new soaps.

•    And to further reduce waste from the kitchen, Gaia Hotel is working with the non-governmental organization United Against Waste.

•    As a next step, the company wants to find a suitable project to compensate for the CO2 emissions generated. At the moment, the company is looking for a compensation project in Switzerland that best suits the company. All emissions are then to be offset retroactively. And in general, communication will focus even more strongly on sustainability in the coming years.

•    exclusively environmentally friendly cleaning agents

•    BaselCard for guests: free use of public transportation

Measurable achievements:

•    6 kg Co2-equivalents/night

•    126 tons Co2-equivalents/year

SDG 14 – Life below Water

Coastal and maritime tourism rely on healthy marine ecosystems. Tourism development must be a part of Integrated Coastal Zone Management in order to help conserve and preserve fragile marine ecosystems and serve as a vehicle to promote a blue economy, contributing to the sustainable use of marine resources.

Exemplary or innovative actions:

Measurable achievements:

SDG 15 – Life on Land

Rich biodiversity and natural heritage are often the main reasons why tourists visit a destination. Tourism can play a major role if sustainably managed in fragile zones, not only in conserving and preserving biodiversity, but also in generating revenue as an alternative livelihood to local communities.

Exemplary or innovative actions:

Measurable achievements:

SDG 8 - Decent work and Economic Growth

Tourism, as services trade, is one of the top four export earners globally, currently providing one in ten jobs worldwide. Decent work opportunities in tourism, particularly for youth and women, and policies that favour better diversification through tourism value chains can enhance tourism positive socio-economic impacts.

Exemplary or innovative actions:

Measurable achievements:

SDG 17 - Partnership for the Goals

Due to its cross-sectoral nature, tourism has the ability to strengthen private/public partnerships and engage multiple stakeholders – international, national, regional and local – to work together to achieve the SDGs and other common goals. Public policy and innovative financing are at the core for achieving the 2030 Agenda.

Exemplary or innovative actions:

BaselCard: Guests at the GAIA Hotel receive the Basel Card at check-in. It includes free use of public transport, 50% discount on admission to museums, zoo, theater and much more.

Measurable achievements:

Link to further information about the nominated business (if available):

https://www.biohotels.info/gaia, https://www.biohotels.info/en/categories/gaia, https://www.gaiahotel.ch/