A guidebook for "green hotels" has been released by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, the city’s Energy Conservation Research and Development Centre and the French Environment and Energy Management Agency.The book is the result of a nine-year programme that targets a sustainable and eco-friendly development for the growing hotel industry.
The six-section guidebook uses practical experience, good practice, techniques and technologies that have been adopted successfully by many hotels in the country to create a framework and detailed instructions. The aim is to help hotels reach the international standard of a green hotel through resource management. Begun in 1999, the guidebook was first written for HCM City’s Majestic Hotel to reduce its energy bill. It was later transformed into a large-scale project called Greening the Hotel Industry in Viet Nam through Efficient Resource Management. Many hotels, including those owned by Saigontourist, began to use the book. The project resulted in a 10 per cent reduction in the participating hotels’ energy and water bills. As a result, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism decided to spread the concept of green hotels across the country. The book identifies a set of benchmarks for the resource management for hotels to follow and allows hotel managers to assess their present status, choose their own method to adopt suitable environmental policies, and reducing the consumption of energy and water as well as the production of solid wastes. These solutions start with simple daily actions, such as setting the correct temperature and regularly maintaining the air conditioning system. The guidebook highlights the active role of clients in this eco-friendly approach. Covering the evaluation of results, the guide is also designed to assist hotels in the adoption of ISO 14001 certification that reflects international environmental management standards. Publishers expect the book to help raise awareness about the environment among tourists. "When tourists come to Viet Nam, they will know that there is a special action to fight against pollution. It’s a good opportunity to advertise Vietnamese tourism, its facilities and its eco-tourism," said Philippe Masset, head of the French Environment and Energy Management Agency’s international affairs division on international programmes and projects. Saigontourist has also taken this opportunity to announce the establishment of its Green Club, which aims at strengthening the co-operation between individuals and organizations to enhance activities to protect the environment in the country’s tourism. "I hope there will be numerous hotels which can become members of the Green Club to share their experience, wealth and knowledge to improve hotel management and environmental management", said Tran Hung Viet, deputy director of the Saigontourist.
