Another four hotels have been awarded the ECO certification by the Malta Tourism Authority following a detailed environmental audit.
The audit was held 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 Tourism Parliamentary Secretary Mario de Marco and the MTA's CEO Josef Formosa Gauci to the Astra Hotel (3-star), Hotel Cavalieri (4-star), Preluna Hotel & Spa (4-star) and Ta' Cenc Hotel (5-star).
During the award ceremony 17 other ECO certified hotels were confirmed for a further two years bringing the total of certified establishments to 21, 15 per cent of hotels in Malta.
The presentation of certificates was held at the end of a half day seminar on environmental sustainability within the hospitality industry.
The seminar was addressed by Dr de Marco and experts from related entities including Malta Enterprise, the Malta Environment and Planning Authority, two environmental NGOs and the MTA.
Two ECO certified hotels also gave presentations on best practices and innovative technologies implemented at their respective establishments.
During the event, the MTA also announced that in 2011 it became an official member of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council, 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.
Dr de Marco said that the Eco Certification scheme encouraged sustainable development. Mario Tourism and the environment, he said, were two areas which played an important part in sustainable development.
The Eco Certification scheme promoted environmental awareness in the private sector and encouraged stakeholders to continue to strengthen the economic, social and environmental development of the islands.
Dr de Marco emphasising the need to be part of this scheme and encouraged more participation by the three and two star hotel categories.
www.mta.com.mt/eco-certification