Iniziativa eco-responsabile e CSR

🌳 By 2025, sustainability becomes essential for hoteliers, driven by eco-conscious travelers demanding authentic green practices. Investing in AI-based innovative solutions can optimize energy consumption and reduce waste, with savings between 5% and 15%, and a payback period under three years. Palazzo Morosini degli Spezieri in Venice and Riviera Resort Hotel in Lignano exemplify energy efficiency with smart systems. Hotel Conca Park in Sorrento, Italy's first zero-waste hotel, uses leftovers for compost and rainwater for irrigation. AI aids in optimizing purchases and predicting guest consumption. Embracing local economies, hotels like Hotel Saturnia & International in Venice engage in community projects and prioritize local suppliers. Digital transformations, including contactless check-in and digital keys, aim to reduce guest waste which averages nearly one kilogram per night, with 50% being paper and plastics. Urban Hotels in Florence adopts a holistic approach to sustainability, considering guests, staff, suppliers, and the environment.

🍲 In Italy, Istat's 2022 report shows 10.7% of employees earn a low hourly wage of €8.9; women's average hourly pay is €15.9 versus men's €16.8. The accommodation and food services sector has the lowest average wage of €10.9 per hour. Amadeus invested in AI for meeting sales management, and OpenAI introduced a tool for autonomous travel bookings, partnering with companies like Booking.com and Uber. Ryanair reduced its investment in Rome's Fiumicino Airport by €100 million due to rising costs. Chef Felix Lo Basso left Milan for Switzerland, citing high rents and low wages. Chef Marc Veyrat banned Michelin inspectors from his French Alps restaurant.

🍴 On January 27, at the Triennale di Milano, the annual gala dinner and 2025 award ceremony of Associazione Le Soste took place. Chef Fabrizio Mellino of the three-Michelin-starred restaurant Quattro Passi di Nerano won the Franco Ziliani Innovation Award, given by Berlucchi Franciacorta. Mellino earned three Michelin stars in 2023 and brought the accolade back to Campania after a 15-year absence. The event also supported the Umberto Veronesi Foundation through a charity auction.

🍊 Fanta, born in Naples in 1955, celebrates its 70th anniversary in 2025. A product of The Coca-Cola Company, Fanta is produced with 100% Italian orange juice, showcasing the company's historic ties to Italy since 1927. Approximately a quarter of Italian orange juice for non-alcoholic drinks has been purchased for Fanta in the past five years. Introduced in the United States in 1958, the brand is now globally recognized. Coca-Cola supports innovation and sustainability in the Sicilian citrus industry, collaborating for over a decade with the Agrumi di Sicilia District on projects like water management and circular economy practices. The Coca-Cola Company offers over 200 brands in more than 200 countries, with a workforce including over 2,000 employees in 7 Italian facilities.

🍷 Oeno Group, founded in 2015, is a leading international network in fine wine investments, including whisky. Interviewed Stefano Rossomando, Head Of Trade at Oeno, discussed the market's current state and criteria for selecting new wineries and labels. Despite a 37% market drop in wine during the 2008 financial crisis, with high-quality wines selling at 40% of their original price, the market rebounded by 2011, showing a 90% increase from the 2008 low. Italy, holding 10% of the global market, with exceptional wines from Tuscany and Piedmont, provides investment and consumption opportunities. Emerging regions like Etna and Irpinia are gaining attention, as are natural wines that reflect their territory with low intervention. In England, consumption trends mix traditional with modern preferences, including fresh, light wines and consistent demand for Champagne. Oeno enhances the wine experience through educational courses, masterclasses, events, and exclusive producer visits.

🌊 The Caribbean Tourist Organization reported an 18% increase in arrivals to the Gulf of Mexico in 2024 over 2023. CEO Dona Regis-Prosper launched 'Sustainable Tourism in Action,' a series of educational webinars for the region's 29 countries. The initiative starts on February 17 and will focus on reducing carbon footprint. St. Kitts and Nevis saw a 14% rise in visitors from January to June 2024, while Castries, St. Lucia (+15%), Barbados (10.3%), and Dominica (14.6%) also showed growth. Flight prices dropped by up to 25% in 2024. Anguilla profited from its "ai" domain, quadrupling its registration tax earnings to $32 million (20% of government revenue). Cuba faced a 9.5% decline in arrivals in 2024 due to international sanctions.

🍝 EquoEventi, founded around 10 years ago, aims to repurpose wasted food from meetings and congresses. Carlo De Sanctis, a founder, emphasizes transforming leftovers instead of discarding them. In 2024, EquoEventi reclaimed food from 106 events, feeding almost 25,000 people in Rome, Milan, Turin, and Lecce.

🚂 Luigi Cantamessa, executive of FS Treni Turistici Italiani and Fondazione FS Italiane, discusses the rise in sustainable railway tourism in Italy, with the company having enhanced its offer with newly renovated, sustainable carriages made in Italy. The expanded service includes seasonal itineraries like Espresso Versilia, Espresso Riviera, Espresso Salento, Espresso Assisi, Espresso Langhe-Monferrato, Sicilia Express, and Treno delle Terme. These routes connect major Italian cities and regions, offering unique cultural and gastronomic experiences.

💲 METRO Italia, a leader in the wholesale trade for the Horeca sector with 3,800 employees, received the "Top Employer" certification for the 12th consecutive year, showing improvement in Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (+24%), Careers (+7.5%), and Onboarding (+4.6%) compared to 2024. The company focused on DE&I with training programs and intergenerational initiatives in 2024, organized physical well-being activities, offered psychological support, and enhanced professional development through an interactive career portal and new training programs. METRO Italia operates in Italy in 16 regions with 49 stores, two dedicated FSD deposits in Milan and Rome, has approximately 200,000 customers, and generated sales of €1.97 billion in fiscal year 2022/2023. Globally, METRO operates in over 30 countries with 85,000 employees and serves about 15 million customers, achieving a turnover of €31 billion in the fiscal year 2023/24.

🍽 The 18th edition of TASTE, a food salon by Pitti Immagine, runs from February 8-10 at the Fortezza da Basso in Florence, with over 700 companies participating. Celebrating contemporary food culture and innovation, Taste 2025 explores the theme of "constellations," offering new exhibition areas like "heroic wines" and breakfast trends. Monday is dedicated exclusively to professionals, and the event features a program offsite, "Fuoriditaste," involving local Florentine venues. Agostino Poletto, General Manager of Pitti Immagine, emphasizes the salon's role in connecting gastronomy professionals and promoting international visibility for participating companies, with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and ICE Agency.