City focus
Zurich sustaining a big summer of events
CMW TAKES A RAPID TOUR OF ZURICH’ S GREEN OFFER, AND NOT JUST ON DELEGATES’ PLATES
Alstadt Munsterbrucke, Zurich
S witzerland recently hosted a
‘ Go Sustainable’ vegetarian study trip to Lucerne and Zurich for the UK MICE market( last year it was for German buyers and agents).
One of the participants, PowWow’ s Trinity Stilwell, noted that by taking trains to Switzerland instead of flying, the group had reduced its carbon emissions by 96 % or approximately 4kg of CO2 compared to 176kg had they flown.
In Zurich, the group stayed at the 25hours West hotel, experiencing a‘ Taste the Waste’ workshop on how to transform unwanted fruits and vegetables into tasty meals. All 25hours hotels have achieved Green Key Certifications, and they support programmes including the
‘ One Wash’ programme in Uganda,‘ Sea rescues’ in Hamburg, and UNICEF.
The hotels report zero food waste, have no air conditioning in rooms, provide just one pillow and perform room cleaning only upon request.
There was a taste of vegetarian Michelin Star fine dining at the Elmira restaurant in the city and at the historic Zunfthaus, the Social Guild and former drinking house dating from 1348( Haus Zum Ruden).
The trip used EventDecision to measure the journey with the entire trip scoring‘ Distinction’ – the highest grade possible on the ESG Report.
The UK group also visited a new, unconventional hotel, due to open 28 July, Mama Shelter. It has 178 rooms and studios and special event spaces.
That, of course, was just a small taste of the Zurich hotel stock – in all, there are 238 venues listed on the Zurich CVB’ s venue finder website, where details of major conferences taking place can be found in June alone these included: Architects and Patents, the global Pharma Tech Summit, The Aliveness of the Earth! Meet Swiss Infosec, 2nd World Congress on Surgery, Surgeons and Anesthesia, Re / insurance Outlook Europe, the Constructionism Conference, the Symposium on Digital Bioprocessing, and Cloud Leaderhip Day.
And throughout July Switzerland is hosting the UEFA women’ s Euro championships across eight city hosts. Fans, just as delegates, can sign up for a Swiss Travel Pass to discover more of the country by train, bus and boat. The pass allows unlimited use of public transport in more than 90 towns and cities and free admission to more than 500 museums. Prices start from CHF 244 for a 3-day pass.
Zurich was among the first destinations in Europe to receive the EarthCheck Sustainable Destinations certification and also claimed top spot on the Smart City Index in 2023.
“ Sustainability is a core pillar of everything we do in Zurich,” said Barbara Walther, sustainability & quality manager for Zürich Tourism.“ Zurich has made substantial investments in infrastructure, with high standards in water management, renewable energy, and rigorous waste management systems. The city also boasts one of the world’ s most efficient public transportation networks.”
With a population of over 400,000 and nearly 23.6m visitors annually, Zurich offers many cultural attractions in addition to being a global financial hub, making it a prime destination for business travellers.
“ Individual travellers are showing more interest in authentic experiences, often following the lead of locals, for whom sustainability is a top priority.” Walther added.
“ At the same time, 50 % of our guests visit Zurich for business, and we’ re seeing significant growth in demand for sustainable MICE offerings, such as catering with local produce and legacy programmes,” she said. n
n Photos: Nico Schaerer / © Zürich Tourism
ISSUE 137 / CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD / 33