Green Holiday – Our Journey, Your Destination
5 minCount Your Trees on a Big Year
Holidays are like forests, the greener the better. At Valamar, ‘green thinking’ is a core value and a true belief, our key strategy and a treasured contribution toward making the world a better place.
2022 was a big year for everyone around the world, bringing on a sense of relief when life finally made its way back to the new and improved normal. For us at Valamar, that means reviewing, revising, strategising and setting out to become better… much like a tree does after each winter.
New beginnings always come as a chance to strive for more and do better. As Croatia’s largest tourism company and one of the industry leaders in the region, we see it as not only our wish, but also our obligation and our imperative. Find purpose in what you are doing and keep going. At Valamar, our efforts tally up to almost 1 billion euro invested into tourism, from upgrading hotels, resorts and campsites to providing unforgettable experiences and ensuring our guests get exceptional quality of service.
Between 2015 and today, around 70 million euro – an equivalent of 4% of our revenues – has been invested in sustainability and corporate responsibility programmes aimed at preserving the environment, developing tourism in destinations, supporting the growth of our employees and playing an active role in our communities. These efforts have resulted in notable achievements that make us proud and motivated to do more. Valamar has already reduced its CO2 emission intensity per overnight stay by 70% since 2015. In 2021, all of our electricity came from renewable sources. Three quarters of our food was sourced locally. We have been caring for our local communities and loyal employees through a number of engaging and innovative programmes. All of our properties are proud holders of sustainability certificates; six of our camps achieved the coveted EU Ecolabel; and in 2022, we opened the first eco-resort in Croatia, Amicor Green Resort on the island of Hvar. For a green-minded company like ours, 2022 was a big year indeed.
Couple on the Adriatic beach
Enjoy the Shade of Your Forest
These efforts didn’t go unnoticed. At the Greencajt Festival of Sustainability in Zagreb, which gathers leaders in green transition and sustainable development, we were awarded the Green Prix award together with our partnering company E.ON in the ‘Decarbonise the Community’ category. The Green Prix is a national environmental award, given in partnership with the Ministry of Economy, Sustainable Development and Environmental Protection. Recognising companies that have contributed to achieving climate goals in the wider community, it spotlighted our ambitious solar electricity project, which enables Valamar to cover 6% of our entire electricity from solar panels. Another recognition came from the prestigious Financial Times. In their study, conducted in partnership with Statista, they reviewed over 4000 companies from 33 European countries for their proactivity in climate issues. Among only six tourism companies that made the cut, Valamar was recognised as one of 2022 European climate leaders. Only one other Croatian company got this important title, though in a different field.
Dubrovnik panoramic view
Going Greener
These awards are wind in our sails as we set out on an odyssey toward 12 new key sustainability goals. Our major goal is to become carbon-neutral in direct greenhouse gas emissions by 2025 and continue investing in social impact projects, primarily focused on our employees and destinations. We will increase our solar energy production to 15% while continuing to get all of our electricity from renewable sources; we only need a few more steps, as fossil fuels are almost entirely phased out in our operations. We will continue to invest in bio-composting and recycling, and we are getting close to zero single-use plastics across our properties. Protecting biodiversity in the Adriatic is another one of our passions. We are supporting WWF Adria in their marine conservation efforts, helping to restore the health of our sea. Enjoy the shade of your forest Great achievements are always accomplished by taking small steps. The perfect example is our recycling workshop for kids at Amicor Green Resort on Hvar; it may be small in scale but it’s making a difference in our children’s mindset. We will have even more electric vehicles for transport across our properties. Digitalising services, from online check-in to tablet-powered menus to paperless invoices is becoming standard at Valamar thanks to many investments in digitalisation in recent years.
A forest happens by planting one tree at a time.
Valamar Amicor Green Resort
When You Love the Shade, Plant Another Tree
Another hugely important project that’s close to our heart at Valamar is the reforestation scheme that brings all of us together – from our employees to our guests to the wider community. Greenhouse gas emissions are a result of human activity and trees help absorb it. One hectare of adult forests, roughly the size of one rugby field, can ‘store’ or compensate for up to 50 tonnes of carbon dioxide. At Valamar, we already tend to over 80,000 trees across our properties.
On their own, these can absorb up to 950 tonnes of CO2, which is around 10% of our direct emissions. But we all need to do more to fight climate change. By preserving and planting trees, we add to the protection of our planet’s biodiversity. Our commitment over the last years has been to plant 1000 new trees each year in and around our resorts and campsites. In 2022 we also joined the CO2 MPENSATING BY PLANTING initiative. Our “Easy as One, Two Tree” campaign invited guests to donate for at least one tree. We promised to match each donation with another tree. Within the first two weeks of the campaign, we surpassed our goal of 1000 trees. Between July and October, we fundraised and donated for 3000 trees, which we planted in three locations – Perjasica and Draganić in central Croatia and Makarska in Dalmatia. The trees were carefully chosen by experts from Croatian Forests (Hrvatske šume) according to these specific locations and forest conditions.
Hvar Island
A Tree Is a Memory; A Forest Is a Legacy
In many ways, forests are like holidays. Some of their benefits are obvious and well-known, like absorbing CO2, producing oxygen and cleaning our air. But there are many more. Trees and forests help stabilise the soil and maintain life in it, in turn reducing erosion; they absorb and retain water, house wild animals and create shade for us and the soil. Trees make places look beautiful and alive, just like holidays make us look and feel great. The benefits of both forests and holidays may be visible and invisible, but they are always guaranteed and evergreen. It is for this reason that ‘green thinking’ is the standard at Valamar. It makes all of you and all of us act for good. Go green, holidays.
Valamar Amicor Green Resort – Eco Garden
