SCTDA concludes workshop on environment 'Sustainability in Hospitality'

The workshop is part of the emirate's continuing efforts to raise the level of awareness about sustainability and the preservation of environment in various sectors.

SCTDA Director General HE Khalid Jasim Al Midfasaid that the Authority isworking to enhance the role of tourism in thehealthyand sustainable economic growth of the emirate through objectives and strategies that translate the directives and vision of His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah.

Al Midfasaid: "All our efforts, strategies and activities are therefore aimed at protecting the environment and promoting awareness about a responsible use of energy resources. The Sharjah Light Festival, hosted by the SCTDA in February every year, is a good example. While illuminating the emirate, the Light Festival actually brings down the consumption of electricity by 50 per cent, as certified by the Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority."

The Director General pointed out that Sharjah was amongst the first to embrace sustainable environmental and economic policies in the region with the launch of the leading green initiatives such as the Bee'ah waste management and recycling plant. The emirate has also announced a number of ambitious eco-tourism projects in recent times such as the KhorfakkanResort and Spa and theregion's biggest ecotourism initiative in Kalba on the East Coast, reflecting an increasing desire for sustainable environment growth in the emirate, he added.

Talking about Sharjah's efforts on the sustainable development front, he said: "While our world increasingly faces challenges threateningits environment, there have also been some positive initiatives for sustainable development and environment conservation by improving energy efficiency and use of renewable energy technology. One such initiative has been launched by hotel group Carlson-Rezidor which has got all its hotels in the UAE certifiedas green according tointernational standards."

Al Midfa emphasized that tourism has increasingly come to play a crucial role in the economy of nations with the number of tourists around the world touching one billion in the year 2012. "This only adds to our collective responsibility to step up our efforts to ensure a better future for the environment and awareness about responsible use of energy."

The workshop covered a host of issuesdealing with the importance of environment sustainability and its role in the hospitality sector. Energy audits for optimization of equipment and savings, the importance of measuring use of electricity and water using hotel optimizer, basics and certification in energysustainability and Green Globe certification and ways of cutting down on carbon emissionsto reduce the environment footprint were some of the topics of the workshop.