Palma de Majorca Becomes First Costal Destination to Implement UNWTO Energy Initiative

Palma de Majorca Becomes First Costal Destination to Implement UNWTO Energy Initiative

UNWTO and the Town Council of Palma signed an agreement establishing Palma as the first pilot costal destination to join the Hotel Energy Solutions (HES) project. Over the coming months, the twenty five participating hotels in Palma de Majorca will test the beta version of the HES e-toolkit, a specialized online tool enabling them to assess their current energy needs and prioritize investment in energy.

The agreement, signed by UNWTO Executive Director, Marcio Favilla, and the President of the Palma Municipal Tourism Institute (IMTUR), Ms. Joana Maria Borras, represents a recognition and contribution to Palma’s effort in building a sustainable destination. This UNWTO-led initiative aims to help small and medium sized hotels across the European Union to increase their use of energy efficiency and renewable energy.

Palma’s commitment to environmentally friendly tourism was confirmed when it became the first city to implement the UNWTO Davos Declaration on Tourism and Climate Change – urging the tourism sector to adopt sustainable practices – through its campaign, ‘Palma, Responsible Tourism’.

Palma de Majorca, one of Europe’s major coastal destinations, will join three other HES pilot destinations covering mountain, urban and rural destinations: Haute-Savoie (France), Bonn (Germany), and Strandja (Bulgaria).

The HES project aims at increasing energy efficiency in the European Union small and medium hotels by 20 percent and the use of renewable energy by 10 percent. The HES e-toolkit will permit participating hotels to assess their energy use and decide on the most advantageous technology investments. Investment in energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies can deliver significant returns, while reducing hotels’ carbon footprint.

The e-toolkit will be made available free of charge at the beginning of 2011 to all accommodation units registered with the project. UNWTO invites all European Union accommodation proprietors to join the Hotel Energy Solutions initiative by providing their details on the project’s website: www.hotelenergysolutions.net.