Farnek Avireal to give UAE hospitality a sustainable edge

Farnek Avireal has recently signed an exclusive five-year licensing agreement with Green Globe International, to utilise the Green Globe brand, the only recognised certification label in the tourism and hospitality industry, covering tourism properties within 20 different countries throughout the Middle East.

More than 800 businesses in 50 countries have so far received the paperless web-based Green Globe Certification (GGC) and it is the only one globally in compliance with ISO17021.

The GGC is the premier worldwide sustainability certification for tourism businesses and the Green Globe Index tool allows clients to calculate their CO2 emissions, the financial cost of that and enables them to track their performance of energy and water consumption as well as non-recyclable waste production.

"The need for credible, independent certification is particularly acute in the hotel industry, where more than two-thirds of travellers have serious doubts about green initiatives posted on company websites,"

said Marcus Oberlin, General Manager of Farnek Avireal Middle East.

Consumer interest in sustainability issues is gathering momentum however and nearly half of all travellers polled by Travel Weekly said they would be prepared to pay up to 10% more to stay in a Green-certified hotel.

With sustainability in mind, the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) is preparing to implement its compulsory carbon reduction initiative this year, which aims to see Dubai hotels reduce their carbon footprint by 20% by the end of 2011. Consultancy from Farnek Avireal and certification from Green Globe would certainly help hotels to monitor and reduce their carbon emissions.

"We are pleased to have partnered with Avireal Middle East to deliver Green Globe branded services in the Middle East region," said Bradley Cox, Chief Operating Officer of Green Globe International.

"As an internationally recognised leader in facilities management, Avireal is an ideal partner for the Green Globe brand - the most globally recognised brand for sustainability. We look forward to a mutually beneficial partnership, which will allow additional hotels and other tourism related businesses in the region to participate in Green Globe programs and by doing so, demonstrate their commitment to sustainable business practices," Bradley added.

The Green Globe brand and program, which traces its roots back to the United Nations Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit in 1992, where 182 Heads of State endorsed the Agenda 21 principles of Sustainable Development, has primarily been used in the travel and tourism industry but is now being expanded to include a growing number of environmentally responsible businesses in a variety of market sectors.

The Green Globe brand is an ideal symbol for the world's increasing awareness of environmental responsibility and response to global climate change.