June 2007

5th June 2007
by ecofriendlytourist.com

Go green to Morocco – and save money!

The website www.ecofriendlytourist.com reports on a new socially responsible holiday home in Morocco


The owner of a newly renovated holiday home in Morocco is offering discounts to guests who offset their carbon emissions in a bid to encourage them to go green.

The house, called Dar 91, is in the beautiful old town of Essaouira, a laid back and welcoming resort on Morocco’s Atlantic Coast. It is tucked away in a district of the medina relatively untouched by tourism. The house occupies the front half of what was once a striking riad and has two double bedrooms and two private roof terraces.

It is just the place to sit back and watch everyday Moroccan life unfold: children playing and collecting water from the communal well; women scurrying back and forth from the public oven; men spinning yarn, chatting on street corners or heading back from a fishing expedition.

“We’ve gone to great lengths to make it a relaxing space for ourselves, our family and friends, and paying guests” says Jeremy Davies who completed refurbishing the property earlier this year. “We rent the whole house, which is entirely self-contained, on a bed-and-breakfast basis from as little as £50 per night.”

Now, in a bid to be a socially responsible business, he is offering a 10% discount to all guests who book stays of a week or more and can prove they have offset the environmental impact of their journeys between the UK and Morocco.

What makes this house and the offer particularly unusual is that Davies is a freelance journalist who specialises in writing about the hard headed world of overseas property and is also the author of the “Which guide to Buying Property Abroad”.

He feels that amongst all the feeding frenzy in the rush to buy overseas property some owners are beginning to feel genuine concern about the environmental impact of their investments. He hopes this is the start of a growing trend and says, “We renovated our house using recycled materials wherever possible, used local craftspeople so as to keep traditional skills alive; pay fair wages; fund our house manager through English lessons; and give 5% of our profits to local good causes.”

The house is available for several weeks this summer and for the rest of 2007.

ENDS

NOTES FOR EDITORS

More details about Dar 91 and full terms and conditions of the offer are available via www.moroccoholidayhome.com

www.ecofriendlytourist.com is a user-friendly guide for green travellers. It was launched in December 2006, is based in London and its content is based on journalistic research.

For further information please contact: webmaster@ecofriendlytourist.com

28th June 2007
by ecofriendlytourist.com

What makes a hotel green?

The website www.ecofriendlytourist.com finds a new insiders’ guide to what makes a sustainable hotel


A new guide to help hotels become environmentally friendly has been launched by the International Tourism Partnership with help from their members – most of the major international hotel groups.

Called “Going Green”, it is designed as a user-friendly tool with a list of practical steps that hotels should take to create a successful, sustainable business operation.

They have been summarised in a short action plan and cover six key areas embracing sustainability as well as corporate social responsibility.

 
• Hotels are advised to draw up a clear policy and framework, making sure everyone is committed.
• The guide also stresses the importance of staff training and awareness.
• It specifies environmental management and highlights energy and water usage and waste reduction.
• Purchasing is seen as another vital issue with hoteliers urged to make sure their suppliers are also going green.
• A further point, entitled “people and communities”, covers the role the hotel plays in the wider world and advises hoteliers to be responsible leaders.
• The final area, “destination protection” outlines what a hotel should do to support the geographical character of its environment, its culture, heritage, aesthetics, and the well-being of its citizens.
ecofriendlytourist.com thinks this could be very useful for green consumers too - as a check list to discover how a hotel is measuring up. So it obtained permission from the ITP to publish their guide in full on its website.

The International Tourism Partnership and its members aims to help the industry promote responsible tourism in economic, social and environmental terms.

Andrew Cosslett, Chief Executive Officer of Inter-Continental Hotels Group, believes “Going Green” will be essential for all hoteliers to make their businesses more sustainable. "Customers are seeking a quality hotel at a competitive price,” he said, “while increasingly demanding ethical and environmental business practices which make them feel good about their hotel choice.”