LONDON: Hotels in the Middle East, after years of criticism, are attempting to move into a greener environmental strategy. From Egypt to Morocco to the United Arab Emirates, efforts are underway to bring top notch quality in line with a reduction of the carbon footprint. In Egypt's Red Sea resort town of el-Gouna, the Movenpick 5-star hotel has already implemented what it says is a “greener” policy of clean-up that brings together vacationers and environmentalism. Once a month, the hotel holds a recycling event where hotelgoers are able to get out, pick up trash and help the hotel remain clean. The hotel administration told Bikya Masr that it is part of their effort to “bring greener ideas to the vactioner while they are on their trip. Here in Gouna we believe in maintaining a solid relationship with the environment.” Gouna is Egypt's attempt to go green, with massive desalination projects already in full swing in an effort to remove it from the lengthy travel water tanks must make to the Red Sea coast. Elsewhere in the region, especially the Emirates, hotels are also initiating policies and projects aimed at lowering their carbon footprint. The Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) has announced the launch of a new pilot scheme which will see four hotels in the emirate built according to strict new green guidelines. The initiative will see state-of-the-art solar heating and water-saving technology incorporated in the upcoming Abu Dhabi hotels, all of which will be either four-star or five-star properties, thereby illustrating the point that luxury doesn't have to be sacrificed for sustainability. Explaining the thinking behind the scheme, Nasser Al Reyami, the tourism standards director for the ADTA, noted that hotels use up more energy and water and produce more waste that most other buildings, both residential and commercial. “So, if we want to help reduce the impact of buildings on our environment, then it's a good idea to start by focusing on hotels,” he said in a press statement. Significantly, it has also been confirmed that plans are already in place to ensure that ADTA's own Environmental, Health & Safety Management System (EHSMS) – which is geared towards achieving reductions of up to 20 per cent in terms of energy and water consumption – are adopted by all Abu Dhabi hotels and holiday apartments by the end of the year. According to Ms Al Reyami, that could well make Abu Dhabi a world leader, proportionally-speaking. BM
