SEASIDE, Ca., January 11, 2019 – California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB) and the Monterey Bay Ecotourism Region (MBETR) initiative hosted the 2nd Monterey Bay Sustainable Hospitality Summit January 10-11, 2019 at the Portola Hotel and Spa in Monterey. The summit featured site visits across Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito regions on January 10th to sites for best practices for sustainability in the hospitality industry followed by a full-day conference at the Portola Hotel and Spa on Friday, January 11.

The primary goal of the summit is to inspire the tri-county region to lead the development and implementation of sustainable practices in the hospitality industry. Attendees will have the opportunity to understand the return on investment of sustainable practices, review best practices in the industry and obtain tools for compliance.

“The outcome of the summit is to help attendees shape the future of the Monterey Bay and Tri-County region as the leading sustainable hospitality, eco-tourism, eco-recreation and wellness region in the country” said Shyam Kamath, Dean of CSUMB’s College of Business. “This strategy is a natural fit for the region and ties together the well-developed capabilities and endowments of our tourism, recreation, wellness and hospitality sectors.”

This year’s Summit key note speakers included Martha Honey, Ph.D., Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Center for Responsible Travel (CREST), Denise Naguib, Director of Sustainability for Marriott International, and Mato Frankovic, Mayor of Dubrovnik, Croatia.

“Monterey County’s values in practices and development are key to our strength as a sustainable destination and make us the perfect place to hold this summit to ensure our continued leadership in this arena,” remarks Tammy Blount-Canavan, President & CEO, Monterey County Convention & Visitors Bureau.