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By David del Valle
Published on •Updated
The boom in international tourism has left many destinations facing a paradox. While large hotels and other businesses increase their revenues, residents are the ones paying the price in the form of rising housing costs, a loss of local identity and neighbourhoods that are being reshaped.
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Against this backdrop, Positive Action Community Tourism (PACT) is proposing a different model: Involving the hotel sector in the development of the communities that host it so that part of the wealth generated by visitors also translates into social, cultural and economic benefits for local people.
The initiative, driven by British entrepreneur Mark Weingard, founder of the Iniala Group, was born in Malta with the ambition of bringing together hotels, organisations and local stakeholders so that tourism leaves a positive legacy that goes beyond its economic impact.
Global movement
“We started in Valletta and we want to create a global movement. We are working with the WTTC [World Travel & Tourism Council] to launch it internationally,” says Weingard about PACT, which already has 45 members.
“Hotels need to build a relationship with the community in which we operate. It is not enough to arrive in a destination, open a hotel and make a profit. We must also help improve the lives of the people who live there.”
His group of luxury hotels, Iniala Group, is actively involved in the local life of the Maltese capital, sponsoring a range of local projects, both cultural and sporting, and working side by side with the community.
“We need the respect of the people who live here, not their hatred, which is why it is so important to work with residents,” Weingard explains.
He cites as an example his Iniala Valetta hotel, “a boutique resort on an urban scale”, as he describes it. It is the result of several restored historic buildings that blend into the cityscape.
“When I arrived in this city there were buildings with stunning architecture and a history that deserved to be preserved,” says Weingard, who believes that the investment has made it possible to restore part of that heritage and bring activity back to certain areas.
“My aim was to restore them and turn them into hotels that could attract travellers from all over the world while at the same time helping the city regain some of its vitality.
“We cannot allow the transformation of a city to end up driving out its residents or destroying traditions, so the commitment has to be to preserve local identity, improving the city without losing its essence.”
In his view, the PACT movement is a way of moving in that direction in many other cities, such as Madrid, London, Paris or Lisbon. That is why he is calling for a broad agreement or pact that brings all stakeholders together. “I would like this philosophy to spread to other cities and for more hotels to join the initiative.”
Hotels that care about wellbeing
For now, Weingard is going to replicate his hotel model in Lisbon, Athens and Madrid, with “properties that are connected to the culture and identity of each city” and offer unique experiences for travellers.
In his philosophy, architecture, design and gastronomy all play a major role in making guests feel special. To that end, he works with top local designers and architects and runs restaurants with Michelin stars.
In his hotel model, the focus is above all on people and their wellbeing. “We are interested,” he says, “in what is happening inside people, how they feel and how they can improve their lives.”
That is why his hotels offer a complete wellbeing ecosystem with beauty and personal care services, treatments for skin care and physical recovery after exercise, as well as healthy eating courses and psychological support services, relaxation techniques and meditation.
“Our goal is to bring together in one place accommodation, physical activity, nutrition, personal care, emotional health and all the tools to improve quality of life,” he explains. “We do not want guests simply to enjoy a few days of rest, but to leave with knowledge, habits and a plan they can continue to follow afterwards.”
In his opinion, this is the trend that will prevail in the coming years, at a time when travellers are looking for more than a destination and somewhere to stay.
They are demanding, discerning travellers who know what they want and are seeking holistic experiences that leave an emotional mark.
If, in addition, they are integrated within the local community, as PACT proposes, it could offer a solution to the problem of gentrification affecting cities everywhere.
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