Peppers Silo Hotel Launceston has met globally recognised sustainable tourism standards to become the first hotel in the Tasmania to achieve Ecotourism Australia’s prestigious Sustainable Tourism Certification.
Recognised for its sustainability measures across the hotel, Grain of the Silos restaurant, and its meetings and events offering, Peppers Silo Hotel Launceston joins a growing cohort of accommodations across Australia seeking independent validation of their sustainability activities.
Achieving certification confirms that Peppers Silo Hotel Launceston has met international best practice sustainable tourism standards across eight criteria sections, including environmental management, interpretation and education, working with local communities, and cultural respect and sensitivity.
The Sustainable Tourism Certification supports urban businesses and is an additional program to Ecotourism Australia’s foundational ECO Tourism Certification which supports nature-based tourism businesses across Australia, including thirteen ECO Certified Operators which are located across Tasmania.
Accor Pacific Chief Operating Officer PM&E, Adrian Williams, said: “We are immensely proud of Peppers Silo Hotel Launceston for achieving Ecotourism Australia’s Sustainable Tourism Certification, marking a significant milestone as the first hotel in Tasmania to meet these globally recognised standards.
“Peppers Silo Hotel Launceston exemplifies our dedication to environmental stewardship, community engagement, and cultural respect. Independent certification is a must-have for hotels to help guests make sustainable travel decisions, and we continue to put sustainability at the core of everything we do.
“The hotel joins a growing network of Accor hotels, resorts and apartments leading the way in sustainable tourism across Australia. We will continue to strive for excellence in sustainability and set new benchmarks for the industry.”
Peppers Silo Hotel Launceston General Manager, Paul Seaman, said the hotel team has worked diligently to improve their sustainability initiatives across the entire property, and they were proud to announce their certification achievement and acknowledge the support of the hotel’s owner in supporting key initiatives, such as solar panels and local procurement.
“Peppers Silo Hotel Launceston is committed to supporting our local community with minimised impact to our environment. A key part of our journey has been our relationship with our food producers and growers and a comitment to sustainable food and beverage offering, inspired by our Food Director Massimo Mele and championed daily with passion by our Executive Chef Thomas Pirker.
“Peppers Silo Hotel Launceston is motivated to continue identifying innovative sustainable solutions to ensure we preserve the ecosystem for future generations.”
Grain of the Silo Food Director, Massimo Mele, said being fiercely local and creating connections with producers was a critical part of the restaurant’s offering and identity from day one.
“Our processes and connections with local farmers and growers takes courage and planning to match the expectations of diners and travellers with the seasons and sustainable farming.”
Ecotourism Australia Chief Executive Officer, Elissa Keenan, said “Ecotourism Australia is pleased to award Peppers Silo Hotel Launceston the first Sustainable Tourism Certification in Tasmania, in recognition of their enthusiasm for and alignment to globally recognised sustainable tourism standards.
“Almost half of global travellers say accommodations with sustainability certifications are more appealing, according to the most recent Booking.com Sustainable Travel Report.
“With their newly appointed certification, Peppers Silo Hotel Launceston will undoubtably inspire other non-nature-based accommodations as well as experiences to strive for best practice sustainability efforts, to foster a network of sustainable tourism in the region.”
The Sustainable Tourism Certification program was launched by Ecotourism Australia in late 2022 to provide non-nature based tourism businesses the opportunity to achieve credible and independently verified certification that meets globally recognised sustainable tourism standards.
Last year, Ecotourism Australia and Accor entered into a strategic partnership to independently certify their Australian and Pacific properties as Sustainable Tourism Certified or ECO Certified. There are more than 170 Accor properties currently applying for Ecotourism Australia certification programs and nine have achieved Ecotourism Australia’s Sustainable Tourism Certification standard.
Learn more about Peppers Silo Hotel Launceston on the Green Travel Guide: https://greentravelguide.org/listing/peppers-silo
