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Capital Looks to Improve Hotels’ Environmental Performance
ABU DHABI - Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) is spearheading a major campaign to deliver substantial, sector-wide energy, water and waste reduction by the end of 2010.
- PUBLISHED: Mon 4 Jan 2010, 11:01 PM UPDATED: Mon 6 Apr 2015, 2:20 PM
Under its industry-leading Environmental, Health and Safety Management System (EHSMS) for the emirate’s entire tourism sector, the authority is targeting 10 per cent energy, 20 per cent water and 20 per cent waste-to-landfill savings over the year.
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“These ambitious targets are aimed at improving the environmental performance of hotels so that they are in line, if not better than, the world’s greenest hotels,” said Nasser Al Reyami, the authority’s director for Tourism Standards.
The initiatives have been rolled out in a series of EHSMS seminars and workshops to help stakeholders, hotels in particular, to kick-start programmes aimed at meeting the 12-month deliverables.
The seminars have given delegates an introduction to Abu Dhabi’s tourism sector EHSMS, outlined how organisations can develop an individual entity EHSMS and how to audit it.
“We have received a tremendous response to the initiative with more than 130 representatives from the emirate’s 113 hotels and hotel apartments responding,” informed Al Reyami.
“Participants have been extremely positive about the initiative viewing it as a significant investment in the hotel sector.”
The authority’s EHSMS is the first in the world developed to encompass an entire tourism sector.
“Traditionally, EHSMS has been applied only at entity level,” explained Al Reyami.
“The system covers all environmental, health and safety aspects of hotels, hotel apartments and tourism operators within the emirate, and requires each of the entities to develop their own systems.”
The Health and Safety Management System roll-out has been given an enthusiastic welcome by the stakeholders. “This is a fantastic move that ADTA has started,” said Eva Lowela Moraca of Vision Hotel Apartments. “Everyone is now starting to realise the importance of EHSMS. This is a big step for all hotels and tourism sector partners and it is an essential going forward.”
Some participants say EHSMS issues are now coming to the fore through guest enquiries.
“This training is a big help. In fact there are a number of our guests who express concern for the environment and often they put forward suggestions — this shows it is an issue and that working together for a better environment can benefit the hotel business,” said Nicole Donato of Platinum Hotel Apartments.