European accommodations awarded for their sustainability performance

From 60 facilities in 15 European countries, a prominent jury of sustainable tourism experts have selected 22 finalists to the award, and eventually the five winners. These have all demonstrated major achievements towards more sustainable development in the tourism industry, including highly innovative measures to minimize their environmental impacts.

All nominees for the Royal Accommodation Award for Sustainable Tourism 2006 demonstrate an excellent picture of innovation regarding sustainable development in the major sectors of the tourism industry, said Stefanos Fotiou, Tourism Programme Officer of the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP), also member of the jury.

The winner in the category Hotel & Guesthouse was Hotel Mürz Spa Wellness & Golf, in Bad Fussing, Germany. Among a huge variety of sustainability initiatives the hotel is equipped with an ecological swimming pond without need of chemical water purification additives.
The award in the category Bed & Breakfast went to Penzion a Kemp Javořice from the Czech Republic. Being used to limited resources, the facility manages to reduce costs substantially by minimizing energy use in many different ways.
Alma Verde Village & Spa of Portugal, winners in the category Holiday Homes, clearly demonstrated the possibility of delivering a nice and cool indoor climate using almost no energy. The lower temperature of the ground at a depth of two metres is used to cool fresh outside air in summer, which is then distributed to the interior of the building.

From far up in the north of Sweden, Grövelsjöns Fjällstation won the award for their innovative geothermal heating system. This unique technology is being used in an area covered with snow for most of the year. In addition this mountain lodge is providing organic cooking and ecotouristic excursions.
Finally, in the category camping, the prize went to Campingplatz Elbsee, Germany, which shows among many other initiatives how to run a campsite without any contribution to the greenhouse effect.

For further details regarding the Accommodation Awards, its promotors and winners, download flyer here (pdf - 3 mb).

The Royal Accomodation Award for Sustainable Tourism 2006 - background

Royal Awards for Sustainability and ECOTRANS received a big number of high quality applications to the "Royal Accomodation Awards for Sustainable Tourism". Out of these, 60 where pre-nominated by their certificates presented below.

All the 60 pre-nominated applicants will be presented as Good-Practices in our web-site, as well as in DestiNet, the Sustainable Tourism Information Portal of European Environment Agency (EEA) http://destinet.ewindows.eu.org/.

Applicants for The Royall Accomodation Award for Sustainable Tourism 2006

More information:

Former awards on sustainable tourism

Calvia 2003

Best public initiative: The project MED-COAST S-T “Strategies and tools towards Sustainable Tourism in Mediterranean Coastal Areas” submitted by the province of Rimini in Italy was chosen among the public initiatives. The project aims at fostering integration between tourism and environmental strategies in costal areas in Italy and Spain through integrated costal zone management, improvement private operators environmental performance, the participation of local communities and more.

Best private initiative:Winner of the private initiatives was project VISIT submitted by ECOTRANS in Germany. In 2000 there were approximately 40 regional, national and international ecolabels for Tourism in Europe. The project wishes to demonstrate how tourism ecolabels in Europe can be an effective instrument in moving the tourism industry and consumers towards a more sustainable behaviour. The steps and objectives are among others to make an assessment in Europe on ecolabels and develop a set of key indicators for sustainable tourism development. The development of a standard for ecolabels for tourism will facilitate the identification of reliable ecolabels and thereby avoid misleading the consumer.

The very well arranged ceremony gathered 160 people from the tourist industry, participating finalists, NGO’s, local governmental and environmental institutions, all enjoying the ceremonial dinner in the exhibition hall of Calvía City Council and the awarding of statuettes to the winners. The President of the Regional Government of the Baleric Ilands Mr. Francesc Antich and the Major of Calvia Ms. Margarita Nájera delivered the statuettes. Besides the two winners the 5 other finalists were given a diploma and the rest of the participants will receive a certificate of participation.