Dubai leads the way to a more sustainable future

Dubai / Emirates Business

Often called the city of the future, Dubai has become synonymous with innovation and future-proofing its tourism linked economy.
Dubai continues to spearhead sustainability initiatives, cultivating a key pillar within its tourism infrastructure by positioning Dubai as a world leading sustainable tourism destination and commercial hub.
Such measures and initiatives remain at the forefront of the hospitality industry’s agenda, in order to contribute towards the broader clean energy and sustainable development targets it has set out to achieve across the city. Industry partners have been crucial in driving the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai to see the city become a leader in sustainability.
The collaborative mission to develop a sustainable city allows for all its residents and visitors to enjoy world class facilities, without compromising the future of the environment.
With tourism a key pillar of Dubai’s economy, the importance of the city’s sustainability strategies in conjunction with the emirate’s appetite to protect the environment for the future have become the foundation for its longstanding success.
Dubai Sustainable Tourism (DST), an initiative by Dubai Tourism to promote a more environmentally friendly, greener future, has provided unwavering support to the city’s network of stakeholders as it engages with, and empowers hospitality establishments to integrate sustainability practices throughout their operations.
Promoting sustainability across Dubai’s tourism industry, DST continues to work alongside leading industry partners to encourage wide-spread adoption of energy efficient practices. An example of this can be seen through various government led initiatives such as this year’s mandated sustainability requirements for hotel establishments to advance the sustainability performance across the sector. These regulated guidelines aim to help promote energy conservation and efficiency while encouraging environmentally sustainable practices across the local tourism industry.
Furthermore, stakeholders are recognised for making significant strides towards sustainable measurements and are honoured through programmes such as Dubai Tourism’s DST Awards, an industry event dedicated to hospitality establishments that have endeavoured to undertake sustainable measures within their organisations, driving environmental awareness and ensuring enhanced sustainability within the tourism sector.

These establishments are leaders in driving the necessary change towards achieving the targets the city has set out to achieve. Platinum Heritage was highlighted during this year’s awards as the ‘Renewable Energy Leader’ through its efforts to preserve the cultural heritage, local industry and native fauna and flora in Dubai while integrating sustainability at the foundation of their organisation.
Platinum Heritage, Dubai’s most awarded desert safari company, has been a driver in implementing renewable energy practices in its camps, using solar power since 2012. Incorporating renewable energy into their tourism experience, Platinum Heritage has focused on educating the industry while protecting the desert environment. Solar power has rapidly become an inexpensive, low-carbon technology able to harnesses renewable energy from the sun and with two camps located in the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve (DDCR) using solar power on their premises, renewable energy has made up approximately 70% of the camps’ energy demands, even during the peak seasons between October and May.
Solar photovoltaics (PV) systems are used to convert light into an electric current that has been able to provide enough energy for light and refrigeration across the desert safari operator’s camps. The main camp consumes on average 7.2kW per day, with 21.6kW of reserve available from the batteries; the solar energy harnessed by the sun and collected by the PV panels is enough to run two other camps with lights and two refrigerators. With half the panels at Platinum Heritage’s second camp, the energy collected from the panels produces about 3.8 kW per day resulting in enough supply for all its lights and one refrigerator.
Platinum Heritage has long been a leader in emphasising the importance of ‘Sustainable Tourism’ and the benefits it offers a city’s social, economic, and environmental welfare. The organisation has focussed on opening the dialogue on the elements to consider within a responsible business by educating hoteliers and tourism companies about preserving the Emirati culture, supporting local communities and contributing towards desert conservation whilst being aligned with the emirate’s sustainability vision.
Driving further consideration for Dubai to become one of the most sustainable cities globally, DST’s collaborative efforts with leading industry partners have helped inspire hotels and hospitality establishments to continue to expand their knowledge of sustainability best practices, offering their guests a sustainable well-rounded experience while simultaneously nurturing the sector’s growth and reducing the impact on natural resources.