Palawan and Cebu Resorts Land in ASEAN Inaugural List of Green Hotels

Two luxury resorts in the Philippines – the El Nido Resorts in Lagen and Miniloc islands, and the Shangri-La Island Resort Mactan – are among the 81 properties in the ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) region to receive the Green Hotel recognition given by the ASEAN member countries at its recent forum in Bangkok, Thailand.

According Tourism Secretary Ace Durano, “The recognition earned by these hotels should serve to encourage other tourism facilities and establishments to think of the environmental impact of their daily activities and find ways to protect the immediate community to which they belong.”

The tourism chief added that undertaking ecologically-sound activities will further help hotels and resorts save thousands of dollars in operational costs monthly.

The ASEAN defines a “green hotel” as one that “is environmentally- friendly and adopts energy conservation measures.”

The Green Hotel recognition is given to lodges and other accommodations that meet the ASEAN’s 11-point standard. The criteria covers having an environmental policy and actions for hotel operation, use of green products, collaboration with the community and local organizations, human resource development geared towards environmental management, solid waste management, energy efficiency, water efficiency, indoor and outdoor air quality management, noise pollution control, waste water treatment and management, toxic and chemical substance disposal and management.

The Green Hotel standard was conceptualized to help the 10 member countries, namely Brunei Durussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, develop and promote the region into a single quality destination.

The Tourism Standards Taskforce has further created benchmarks for food and beverage services, public restrooms, home stay accommodations, ecotourism destinations and activities, and tourism heritage sites.

With the initial recognition of the Green Hotels in the region, ASEAN officials plan to award restaurants, shops and other tourism establishments and enterprises in the future to encourage an environmentally responsible industry.

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