The Cebu City Council is set to deliberate on a proposal to incite the tourism industry to implement a “Zero Tourism Waste” policy in Central Visayas to protect the environment.
Cebu City Councilor Edgardo Labella filed a resolution urging the Department of Tourism (DOT) to strictly enforce the policy that has been implemented since 2005.
The “Zero Tourism Waste” policy is part of the tourism sector’s commitment to prevent, reduce, reclaim and recycle garbage to save resources and protect public health and the environment.
Labella said local resorts and hotels should be part of the global campaign for environment protection.
Tourism Secretary Ace Durano said the most productive way to encourage the establishments to apply the policy is to get environment-conscious tourists.
The market force will be the main factor to create change in the tourism industry since hotels and resorts will only provide for the needs of the tourists, Durano said.
The DOT, in coordination with the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Green Hotel standards.
”This is a way to create awareness among the hotels and therefore motivate other resorts and hotels to be environmentally aware,” Durano said.
Criteria refers to policies and practices that promote energy and water efficiency, management of solid wastes, control of noise pollution, indoor and outdoor air quality management and proper treatment of wastewater.
Only two resorts in the country comply with the standards of a “green” hotel – Shangri-La Mactan Island Resort and Spa in Lapu-Lapu City and El Nido Resort, Palawan.
Durano said there is no such thing as immediate ways to protect the environment because it requires changing habits.
The banning of plastic shopping bags is part of the effort to lessen waste and promote recycling, said Durano.
Cebu City Councilors Augustus Pe Jr. and Roberto Alcoseba will sponsor a city ordinance banning the use of plastic shopping bags.
Durano challenged Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia to spearhead a provincial tree planting program in Cebu’s denuded mountains to help remove green-house gas emissions from factories and establishments.
Meanwhile, projecting to breach its target net income this year, SM Investment Corp. (SMIC), owner and operator of biggest shopping malls in the country, had bared its hotel expansion plans next year.
Merril F. Yu, SMIC senior vice-president for Hotel Investment group, said they were now stepping up the growth of its three residential projects and looking at developing a new condotel project called the SM Casa which would have 50 rooms with a size of 24 square meters per unit.
Yu said they have selected 14 sites for this condotel which would have a minimum rate of P2,000 per day.
Yu said they were also hoping to complete their current projects which includes Pico de Loro Cove, one of SM’s eco-tourism project in Nasugbu, Batangas, the expansion of the Taal Vista Hotel from 128 rooms to 262 rooms with a total cost of P650 million as well as the refurbishing and converting of the 400 room Cebu Hotel into a five star operation by Sofitel of the Accor group. (PNA)
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