[Fwd: CARIBBEAN/JAMAICA: Hotels Getting More Green-Conscious]

Jayne Musumba wrote:
>
> 2000/11/6
> Hotels getting more green-conscious
> Observer Reporter
>
> LOCAL hotels are implementing plans to ensure sustainability in
> the island's tourism industry and secure an advantage in the
> increasingly environmentally-conscious market.
>
> Tourism officials are reporting a positive response to the
> Environmental Audits for Sustainable Tourism (EAST) programme
> which is being carried out by the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist
> Association (JHTA) and funded by the United States Agency for
> International Development (USAID).
>
> Through this programme, properties are undergoing environmental
> audits and receiving recommendations to make their operations
> environmentally-friendly. So far, six hotels have received the
> prestigious Green Globe certification and others are preparing
> for assessment.
>
> Director-general in the Ministry of Tourism, Carole
> Guntley-Brady, said "the results have been overwhelmingly
> successful and this is helping to place Jamaica and the
> participating hotels on the cutting edge of green tourism".
>
> Mockingbird Hill Hotel in Negril, one of the first properties to
> be certified, recently received a Green Globe Award for being the
> most environmentally-friendly hotel in the Caribbean. The hotel
> operates its own sewage treatment plant, uses solar panels for
> water heating and has installed water saving devices and energy
> bulbs throughout the property.
>
> Sandals Negril, another Green Globe certified hotel, has managed
> to cut both its water and electricity consumption by almost 10
> per cent, noted environmental activist, Richard May. By operating
> a compost heap, the hotel has also cut its fertiliser bill by 90
> per cent.
>
> "We also do a lot of recycling. Our old bed linen is made into
> laundry bags and we make our iron board covers from old bed
> spreads and all of our wash cloths are made from old beach
> towels," May said.
>
> The Green Globe certification should help local properties to
> gain ground in the competitive global hospitality market as
> travelers have indicated that environmental concerns influence
> their decisions on destinations.
>
> In her sectoral presentations in the house earlier this year,
> tourism minister, Portia Simpson-Miller quoted a recent survey of
> international travellers which revealed that "91 per cent of the
> respondents were concerned about the environmental conditions of
> the destinations that they were planning to visit".
>
> Executive director of the JHTA, Camille Needham, said Green Globe
> status should definitely be used as a marketing tool.
>
> "Sustainability is now the buzz word in tourism and the Green
> Globe certification helps in the marketing because people want to
> know that a hotel is making a contribution in that respect," she
> said.
>
> SOURCE: Jamaica Observer
Received on Tue Nov 7 08:56:01 2000