The tourism industry in 2025 is booming. According to the World Travel & Tourism Council, global travel spending is set to soar past $11 trillion by the end of this year.
However, this phenomenal demand also means that the environmental toll associated with tourism is rising. The future of the industry hinges on addressing its environmental impact and finding ways to reduce collective carbon emissions.
It’s also key to business development, with 83% of travelers confirming that sustainable travel is important to them.
The good news is that the industry is taking huge strides forward to tackle the challenge with meaningful solutions that rethink how hospitality is delivered globally.
For example, hotels are the foundation of tourism. From independent boutiques to global chains, the way that these buildings operate will have a huge impact on the overall sustainability of the industry.
The theme will hit the spotlight in October as industry leaders, technology startups, and government officials head to Dubai for Sustainable Hospitality Week to discuss the future of the industry and showcase innovative sustainability initiatives through a series of events.
Practical solutions, leading innovation, global investors at FHS World
Dubai has one of the most five-star hotels in the world, making it a strategic location to host Sustainable Hospitality Week and the Future Hospitality Summit (FHS) World in order to drive meaningful change.
FHS World will run 27-29 October 2025, at Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai to discuss the latest trends and innovations in sustainable hospitality. The event has recently expanded to include the theme of “Sustainable Construction” in recognition of the pivotal impact this has on achieving sustainable goals.
FHS World brings together over 300 global investors ready to explore business opportunities worth over $2 billion. Themes include global hospitality Investments, projects and destinations, branding strategies and the latest in sustainable innovation. Tech startups on the agenda include Vailypoint and Adyen, among others.
Sustainable Hospitality Week in Dubai
The packed agenda at FHS World will be complemented by several other strategic events over the course of the week. The Responsible Hoteliers Summit takes place alongside FHS World in Dubai, with a focus on the practical aspects of sustainability in hotels. Speakers from Accor Hotels, Four Seasons, the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, Red Sea Global, Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, Emirates Green Building Council and more will discuss the latest trends, helping hotels worldwide adopt sustainable practices in achievable and realistic ways.
The World Sustainable Travel & Hospitality Awards will shine the spotlight on the most impressive achievements and important changemakers. The 2nd annual gala ceremony for these awards will be held in Dubai on October 29, 2025, coinciding with the final day of FHS World.
It will also recognize individuals and organizations driving change towards a sustainable future for tourism and hospitality.
A data-driven approach to sustainable hospitality spearheaded by tech enterprises
While most hoteliers understand the need to make operations more sustainable and are actively trying to do so, complexity is a prevailing challenge.
From the number of towels being washed each day, the way that food is served to guests to the purchasing partners used to source goods, daily actions shape the carbon footprint of the hotel. Without data, sustainable hospitality will remain an elusive goal.
Credibl offers a native AI full-stack platform for decarbonization, ESG data management and supply chain traceability and due diligence. The company’s CEO and Founder, Jitesh Shetty, will be in attendance at Future Hospitality Summit to share learnings from the field after working shoulder-to-shoulder with hotel engineers driving the sustainability transition every day.
The company’s track record in the hospitality industry is demonstrated by a recently published case study on IMD Business School, titled “Indian Hotels Company Limited: Fast Track to Structured Sustainability via Paathya.”
The case highlights how The Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL) operationalized its ESG+ framework at scale, using Credibl’s Smart Sustainability Stack™ to achieve the milestone.
According to Shetty, “Dubai has one of the largest numbers of five-star hotels in the world — over 800 properties welcoming 17+ million international visitors in 2023. On the surface, it’s all glamour and grandeur. But the reality is — in most hotels, sustainability begins in the basement, not the boardroom or the front desk. In the basement, engineering directors quietly manage the most critical data — energy, water, waste, and refrigerants. Their daily actions shape a property’s carbon footprint. We love working with these engineering teams — the real sustainability heroes working behind the scenes.”
Innovative and practical tech solutions like this set the standard for the future of sustainable tourism globally.
