Hotels Add Green Stamp To Their Stars
About 10 per cent of hotels in Malta are considered to be eco-friendly by the Malta Tourism Authority and the figure is set to rise by January 2009, with another eight hotels having submitted their applications.
It may not appear to be much at first glance - 13 hotels, so far - but the MTA's Quality Assurance Directorate says the fact that the concept is still relatively new, that it involves an effort on the part of the hotels and is voluntary has to be taken into account. The MTA introduced the certification about five years ago. Hotels do not have any form of incentive to adhere to the several criteria that could label them eco-friendly. On the contrary, they have to pay an application fee. The eco-certification scheme would never target 100 per cent of the hotels. In general, the most such initiatives would aim for is about 30 per cent, otherwise the label would lose its prestige, the directorate explained. Nevertheless, the words tourism and the environment have become more interlinked as the effects of one on the other are being strongly felt and the emphasis is laid on sustainable tourism as the only way forward for Malta.
To be certified eco-friendly means a hotel has met 38 compulsory criteria, including, for example, using low-consumption light bulbs and water-saving devices in room showers. The list also includes 62 non-compulsory measures. Hotels are required to undergo an audit by independent environmental consultants when they apply for the two-year certification and must submit documentation to prove they are compliant.
One of the major changes in the Maltese hotel industry, is the continuous investment in energy-efficient equipment, such as energy lamps, reverse osmosis units, a waste water treatment plant and gas burners. Implementing new measures and changing attitudes is, however, "always an uphill struggle" but environmental awareness can now be felt and seen.
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