Phase 2 of the Futouris Industry Project on Biodiversity in Tourism Has Started

Together with project partners adelphi and mascontour, five pilot companies from Futouris members DERTOUR Group, schauinsland-reisen, and Visit Finland, as well as cruise ships from TUI Cruises, concrete measures are being developed and tested in two modules.

The goal is to systematically reduce the negative impacts of tourism activities on biodiversity and to embed measures such as supply chain analysis, the reduction of biodiversity-critical risks, and the consideration of biodiversity-relevant criteria into operations.

Two Modules for Incorporating Biodiversity Considerations into Tourism Practices

The first module (“Biodiversity in Hotel Operations”) focuses on hotel operations in hotels and on cruise ships. Together with the participating businesses—Urban Nature St. Peter-Ording (St. Peter-Ording), the Aldiana Club in Andalusia, and TUI Cruises’ MeinSchiff fleet—individual biodiversity profiles are created and key areas for action are identified. These include, among other things, water and energy consumption, waste volumes, and land use. Based on this, the participating businesses, together with the project partners, develop and implement concrete measures to reduce biodiversity-related impacts in their operations.

The second module (“Biodiversity in the Food & Beverage Supply Chain”) focuses on the impact of food and beverage offerings on biodiversity. Participating in this module are the Aldiana Club Andalusia, R2 Rio Calma, and R2 Bugainvilla hotels, the Haltia Lake Lodge, and the MeinSchiff fleet of TUI Cruises. The focus is on analyzing supply chains, identifying raw materials critical to biodiversity, and developing criteria for procurement and menu planning that take biodiversity considerations into account.

Significant leverage along the tourism value chain

Hotels and cruise ships play a central role in the project, as they have a significant impact on biodiversity through both their day-to-day operations and their global supply chains. At the same time, the industry offers great potential to drive positive change along the entire value chain through targeted measures.

Data Collection at Participating Establishments as a Foundation

Data collection at participating establishments forms the foundation for the development and implementation of concrete measures. Using practical templates, the participating pilot establishments will collect key metrics over the next few weeks, such as water and energy consumption per guest night or the quantity and origin of purchased food items in various categories. The data collected in Module A will be compared with industry-standard metrics, taking into account the hotel type and location, and used to create a customized biodiversity profile. In Module B, based on the collected data, a biodiversity risk assessment for the F&B sector will be conducted, and a list of criteria with specific measures will be developed.

Practical Solutions for the Entire Tourism Industry

The project will run from April 2026 through the end of 2027 and aims to develop concrete solutions, practical tools, and industry-specific guidelines that will be applied beyond the participating pilot businesses and made available to the entire tourism industry. Through this project, Futouris is making an important contribution to establishing biodiversity as an integral part of sustainable business practices in tourism. At the same time, the project supports businesses in preserving the natural resources and the appeal of travel destinations over the long term—thereby securing the foundation of their economic success.