In 2024, the Sustainability Competence Centre of Tirol Werbung commissioned the Circular Economy Forum Austria to describe the circular economy potential of tourism in an understandable way and to encourage its implementation using practical examples. This approach is of importance, because tourism also has the potential to act as a multiplier between suppliers and consumers and to further promote the circular economy, while tourism businesses and destinations can act as a laboratory for testing and developing circular economy technologies, products and business models. The practical examples include sharing economies such as car and bike sharing and the optimisation of water and energy efficiency in hotels, while circular procurement and construction aspects also have great leverage. Aspects of the circular economy should also be taken into account when remodelling and building new hotels. Such measures promote sustainability, create innovation and increase the attractiveness for environmentally conscious travellers.
The resulting white paper out of the assignment explains the application of the circular economy in the Austrian tourism sector in detail.
