The Westin Dragonara Resort is proud in joining the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA)’s Eco-certification scheme following a detailed environmental audit, further verification and approval by the Green Committee.

The certificate and glass plaque were presented by the Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism Mario de Marco and the MTA’s CEO Mr Josef Formosa Gauci during the award ceremony.

The role of the Eco-certification scheme is to encourage hotels to deliver a better product to meet the demand of the increasingly environmentally aware tourist and at the same time to recognise the hotels for their effort. The Westin Dragonara Resort now complies with a number of criteria all aimed at improving the hotels’ environmental performance and increasing environmental awareness amongst staff. The criteria include environmental management, waste management, procurement, energy, water, air quality, noise, building and green areas, local culture and information dissemination.

In his opening speech, Dr de Marco said that the Eco-certification scheme has over this last year grown in popularity partly due to the ever increasing importance that hotel management and consumers have been giving the environment. He added that through the Eco-certification scheme, the hotel industry has become an example to the tourism industry, demonstrating that good environmental management is beneficial not only for the related financial savings, but also because it helps the industry as a whole.

The Westin Dragonara is working actively in reducing the carbon footprint in the business activities and continually improves and innovates in day to day practices. Hence such an award is of extreme importance to the resort as it fits in the business strategy of Westin as well as encourages associates to strive on improving the eco friendly measures implemented by the resort.