The Ministry of Environment would propose a set of green certification criteria for the hotel industry to facilitate its sustainability transitions in line with booming sustainable tourism globally, Minister of Environment Peng Chi-ming (彭啟明) said.
Sustainable tourism emphasizes the tourism industry and travelers’ accountability for their impacts on local society, environments and economies.
Taiwan has yet to establish a sustainable travel certification, although many countries have rolled out their own systems.
Photo courtesy of a hotelier
Singapore put forward a plan aiming to have at least 60 percent of hotel rooms attaining an internationally recognized sustainability certification by this year.
In Turkey, a mandatory national program was developed to require all hotel industry players to achieve sustainability-related certification from institutions approved by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council.
However, there are only 19 hotels in Taiwan that have earned international sustainability certification, Tourism Administration statistics show.
Although the government launched the green mark hotel certification as early as in 2008, only 154 hotels have achieved certification, data from the Green Lifestyle Web site showed.
While the green mark hotel certification focuses on using equipment for saving energy, reducing carbon and lowering single-use waste, sustainability certification is a broader concept that involves not only environmental, but also social and cultural impacts.
The green mark hotel certification should be transformed into a set of green certification criteria in line with reputable international sustainable travel certifications to help the domestic hotel industry align with global standards, Peng said on Friday.
The renewed green certification could be graded into gold, silver and bronze classes, with details to be discussed with the administration, he said.
It is expected to be integrated with green procurement and national tourism to encourage travelers to have hotels with sustainability certificates as their first choice, Peng said.
Tourism Administration official Tsao Yi-shu (曹逸書) said the agency would continue to cooperate with the ministry to promote sustainable travel and hotels, and lead the green transition in the industry.
It would subsidize hotels seeking local or international certification in sustainability, environmental protection, or energy saving and carbon reduction, he added.
It also held training courses and symposiums last year to increase industry players’ understanding of sustainability certification, Tsao said.
A manager of a domestic five-star hotel, who asked to be anonymous, said the hotel would not invest resources in seeking an international sustainability certification without prior evaluation of its operational impacts.
The hotel would be happy to take part in Taiwan’s green certification if it is a good fit, given that the ultimate goal of sustainability certifications is to enhance the quality of tourism and hotel accommodation, and contribute to the environment and society, they said.
Sustainability has over the past few years become a key concern in choosing a venue for MICE events, Kao Peng-hisang (高鵬翔), professor of the Takming University of Science and Technology’s Department of Marketing Management, said.
MICE is an acronym for meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions, and considered a type of tourism involving large groups of people travelling.
Given that few Taiwanese hotels have earned international sustainability certification, the hotel industry must proactively transition to sustainability, otherwise it would miss the business opportunity brought by MICE tourism and even fail to attract foreign tourists, Kao said.
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