Once a rather niche topic, sustainability now gets more attention than ever before – and this brings both challenges and opportunities for all areas of society. St.Gallen-Bodensee Tourism has decided to fully embrace environmental, economic and social sustainability. That means we must consider, in all our activities, all three dimensions of sustainability: the environment, the economy and society. As an organisation, we take these three dimensions of sustainability into account in everything we do and prioritise all our efforts around them. The St.Gallen-Lake Constance region supports numerous projects that are putting theory firmly into practice. The aim of this support is to provide a sense of direction, offer added value for visitors and ensure that being committed to sustainability is seen as a way of enriching the region.
What St.Gallen-Bodensee Tourism is doing
Environmental sustainability
Our goal for 2023 is to offset any CO2 emissions that cannot be completely prevented. To this end, we are partnering with the organisation myclimate and the «Cause We Care» project. Through myclimate’s climate protection projects, customers can offset any emissions associated with their stay that could not be avoided. They simply make a voluntary donation for climate protection when booking their experience. The offsetting funds are then used for internal or external climate protection projects.
In addition, St.Gallen-Bodensee Tourism (SGBT) is involved in the Swisstainable sustainability programme run by Switzerland Tourism. In order to join, SGBT had to undergo a sustainability check that measures twelve aspects of sustainability. SGBT then undertook a self-evaluation based on the sustainability check and identified three measures that it will implement in the next 24 months. These measures are mainly geared towards strengthening weak areas and sharpening the image we project as an organisation. Thanks to the sustainability efforts we have already made and our ongoing efforts to improve even further, SGBT has been the proud holder of the “Level ll engaged” label from Swisstainable since the end of November 2021. Reaching this level requires a commitment to sustainable corporate governance, as well as appropriate certification in the area of sustainability. St.Gallen-Bodensee Tourism is proud to demonstrate that it has the required sustainability credentials.
Since 2021 SGBT has also been a partner of the GUBI Consulting S.L. Global Destination Sustainability Index (GDS-Index). The GDS-Index is a performance improvement programme aimed at making business and leisure tourism more sustainable. The programme works together with destination management organisations (DMOs) and conference organisers to support them in adopting, promoting and recognising responsible and regenerative practices. This involves the evaluation of four key areas that are crucial to the sustainability of a destination. These are: the city’s environmental strategy and infrastructure, the city’s social sustainability performance, support of industry suppliers, and the destination management organisation’s strategy and initiatives.
SGBT collected extensive data for this evolution. You can find all of the St.Gallen-Bodensee Tourism performance results from the Global Destination Sustainability Index 2023 here . Due to various other regional cooperations, the involvement in the GDS-Index will not be continued for the time being.
In all its internal operations, SGBT is committed to the 3Rs: reduce, reuse, recycle. This means choosing energy-saving options, working without paper wherever possible, and reducing waste and its environmental impact by recycling cardboard, paper and coffee capsules.
Partners
«The pandemic has changed how we all see sustainability – it’s no longer a matter of cost, it’s a way of life. Even now, some people still dismiss a sustainable lifestyle as a luxury that’s only for those who can afford it, but recent developments have shown that attitudes are changing drastically.»
Thomas Kirchhofer, Director of St.Gallen-Bodensee Tourismus
Social sustainability
SGBT wants to be an organisation that is sustainable in every respect – and that includes social sustainability. This is why SGBT is systematically investing in the well-being of its employees by offering them various opportunities for professional development and flexible ways of working, and ensuring that they can achieve a good balance between their working life and their family life. For example, we support employees who undertake personal development projects and we give them the autonomy to decide how to allocate their working hours between working from home and working in the office.
We want to further increase overall employee satisfaction over the next few years in order to minimise employee turnover and ensure the economic success of SGBT. Another benefit of social sustainability is that it makes it more likely that employees will identify with the company in a positive way and therefore speak well of it – a form of indirect advertising. This will have a particularly positive effect on future employees, who will become aware of the company through what current employees say. Furthermore, SGBT is encouraging the development of young talent by offering a commercial apprenticeship. Another of our key aims is to provide diverse groups with real, sustainable opportunities on the job market. In addition, we take health and safety in the workplace extremely seriously. Our employees also have their part to play. They contribute to the sustainability of our company by actively engaging with and adhering to the principles outlined above. That means being careful about how they use resources and making the most of what the company is offering them.
SGBT’s social sustainability efforts are not limited to internal operations. We have also made it our mission to make tourism accessible to all. As part of this mission, SGBT supports the «OK:GO Initiative» run by Barrierefreie Schweiz, an association that promotes accessible tourism. The aim of the initiative is to increase the availability of information about how accessible tourist sites are throughout Switzerland. With more information, people with disabilities, families and older people will find it easier to plan their trip.
St.Gallen-Lake Constance Tourism has signed a three-year cooperation agreement with the MyHandicap Foundation (EnableMe). The online portal "EnableMe" offers a platform for exchange and provides information as well as offers for people with disabilities. Together we will take a close look at our region to show our guests which offers can be used barrier-free. For this purpose, a field report of a person with disabilities will be created and published on our website. First, we will visit the Stiftsbezirk and the Drei Weieren together with Gion, who is in a wheelchair.
Partner
«Focusing on sustainable development and introducing sustainability benchmarks creates a roadmap that the various tourist destinations can follow, regardless of their specific location and situation. Following this roadmap will not only increase their competitiveness by making them more attractive to business and leisure tourists – it will also allow them to do something good for local people, for nature and for themselves. The potential here is enormous: this is a real win-win situation for the destinations.»
Thomas Kirchhofer, Director of St.Gallen-Bodensee Tourismus
Economic sustainability
For SGBT, economic sustainability means setting out sustainable objectives in our strategy papers and management guidelines. SGBT has chosen to focus on expanding key synergies in this regard. Hence why we are working on the «Digital Marketplace» project. The plan for the Digital Marketplace is to bring on board the relevant large tourism providers that already have a digital presence and thus create a location-independent sales platform where tourists can go to book a variety of experiences bundled together. This will encourage cooperation and create a launch pad for innovative new products. We also expect other positive effects: the Digital Marketplace will make it possible to book tourist attractions and services online, service providers will be empowered to develop and expand their digital offerings, and products and services that were already available to book directly online will become more visible. Advertising campaigns will become more targeted and effective, in that they will be able to generate turnover directly and their success can be measured in terms of profit.
SGBT is also a firm supporter of the «Made in St.Gallen Initiative». This is a platform that brings together “urban makers” of all stripes – from fashion and furniture makers, soap makers and creators of food products to high-tech companies and industrial enterprises – all under a single label that is displayed with pride. “Made in St.Gallen” is an official designation of origin. The initiative, which started in autumn 2020, defines itself as an alliance of people from various backgrounds who stand behind their work and are dedicated to upholding the integrity of the brand.
Partner
«The more a destination is designed to be sustainable and the more it operates sustainably, the more sustainable visitors it will attract. Sustainable visitors will value the preservation of culture and nature, and will therefore behave in a respectful, non-damaging way.»
Thomas Kirchhofer, Director of St.Gallen-Bodensee Tourismus