Mövenpick Resorts El Quseir achieves the MENA Golden Environmental Award for 2007

The idyllically located Red Sea resort was also the recipient of the 2006 MENA Platinum Award and the 2005 MENA Golden Award Winner in the same category.

Established in 2004, the annual MENA awards were set up to stimulate excellence in both products and services by recognizing achievements within the industry. The award's other chief aim is to stimulate competition and synergy amongst various sectors in the hospitality industry.

"We are proud of this very special acknowledgement of the many efforts we have made for our resort", said Alfred Portenschlager, General Manager of the Mövenpick Resort El Quseir. "Our entire team participates in the endeavor which includes the professionals at our dive centre, which is managed by the Swiss company, Subex."

The Mövenpick Resort El Quseir opened in 1994 and has evolved into a truly unique and vast oasis on the Red Sea, 140 kilometers south of Hurghada. The Nubian low-rise architecture harmonizes with the stunning surrounding landscape and is reminiscent of a Bedouin village. The 250 spacious rooms are housed in clusters of stone-clad bungalows with high domed ceilings, set in gardens that have turned the desert green to create their own eco-system. The palms, flowering shrubs and herbaceous plants are a haven for indigenous birds and the Red Sea is an unrivalled corridor for the annual migration in spring and autumn. Dolphins swim close to the shore, turtles lay their eggs on the beach and there are resident osprey while the desert beyond is home to various species of fauna.

The house reef of the resort offers the miracles of the underwater world with clear visibility to enjoy the abundance of marine life and many different species of coral. One of the best preserved reefs in the Red Sea, the number of divers in any one area is strictly controlled and the Subex team makes every effort to keep the reef pristine.

"Through extensive training courses our staff fully understands the issues of sustainable tourism and willingly embrace the exacting standards we continue to strive to achieve," added Portenschlager. But the key is to involve not only the staff and Subex but also the guests, many of whom come here again and again because of the special environment."

The success of the Mövenpick El Quseir Resort is an inspiration to others, a jewel of eco-tourism over 40 percent of its clientele are repeat guests.

The main difference between the MENA Awards and other awards in the region is that the judges are the end users as opposed to a panel of judges, who vote on the basis of a portfolio supplied by the organization themselves.

Over 75,000 industry end users vote for their first, second and third choices in 18 categories equating to 225,000 votes for 76 awards stringently controlled by Price Waterhouse Coopers and CHA.

"Receiving the Platinum Award for the Best Environmental 4-Star Hotel is most gratifying but is also an encouragement to continue the hard work to ensure we maintain our seaside paradise for generations to come," concluded Portenschlager.