Four more hotels, including the Hotel Ta’ Cenc, Sannat, Gozo, have been awarded the ECO certification by the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) following a detailed environmental audit to verify compliance with criteria related to waste management, resource efficiency, green procurement, staff training and general environmental management among other areas.

The certificate and official plaque were presented by the Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism, the Environment and Culture, Mario de Marco and the MTA’s CEO Mr Josef Formosa Gauci to the Astra Hotel (3-star), Hotel Cavalieri (4-star), Preluna Hotel & Spa (4-star) and Hotel Ta’ Cenc (5-star). During the award ceremony 17 other ECO certified hotels were confirmed for a further two years bringing the total to 21 certified establishments, equivalent to 15% of hotels in Malta.

The presentation of certificates was held at the end of a well-attended half day seminar on environmental sustainability within the hospitality industry. The seminar was addressed by Dr de Marco as well as a number of experts from related entities including Malta Enterprise, the Malta Environment and Planning Authority, two environmental NGOs and the MTA amongst others. Two ECO certified hotels also gave presentations on best practices and innovative technologies implemented at their respective establishments.

To complement this annual event, the MTA this year organised an expo of eco-friendly solutions for the hotel sector. This platform was successful in bringing together a variety of suppliers of eco- friendly products thus creating awareness among hoteliers on what products are available on the market.

During the event, the MTA also announced that in 2011 it became an official member of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), an international initiative dedicated to promoting sustainable tourism practices around the world. The GSTC was founded in partnership by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation, the United Nations Environment Programme, United Nations Foundation, Rainforest Alliance, Sabre/Travelocity and others. As a new member, the MTA will work with the GSTC to promote sustainable tourism principles in Malta, particularly through the inclusion of GSTC standards into the Eco certification requirements.

In his closing speech, Dr de Marco said that the Eco Certification scheme encourages sustainable development. Mario De Marco went on to say that tourism and the environment are two areas which play an important part in sustainable development. Furthermore, the Parliamentary Secretary added that the Eco Certification scheme promotes environmental awareness in the private sector and encourages stakeholders to continue to strengthen the economic, social and environmental development of our islands. He concluded by emphasising the need to be part of this scheme, especially encouraging more participation by the three and two star hotel categories.

More information on the ECO certification scheme, including the full list of ECO certified hotels, is available at www.mta.com.mt/eco-certification

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