The prestigious ASEAN Green Hotel Award 2014 was presented yesterday in the bi-annual award ceremony held in conjunction with the ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) 2014 at the Pullman Hotel, Kuching.

Eighty six hotels across the ASEAN region received this prestigious ASEAN Green Hotel Award 2014.

“This award is presented to hotels, which adhere to green and sustainable practices, are environmentally friendly and adopt energy conservation measures based on the criteria and requirements in the ASEAN Green Hotel Standard,” said Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Nazri Abdul Aziz.

He also added that the primary objective of the award is to provide the well-deserved recognition to hotels that go beyond conventional practices and embark on green and environment friendly measures supporting responsible tourism.

The award presentation started in Thailand in 2008 followed by Brunei Darussalam in 2010, and Indonesia in 2012.

Recognising this global trend, ASEAN has decided to develop the ASEAN Green Hotel Standards, which comprises an environmental plan, green products, human resource and environment management.

The Tourism and Culture Minister also said that the move can also be seen as an integral initiative to support the current work of ASEAN to develop the ASEAN Ecotourism Strategic Plan that promotes responsible tourism and green practices in the tourism industry.

The award was presented to ten hotels of Malaysia, ten of Myanmar, five hotels of the Philippines, ten of Singapore, ten of Thailand, ten of Vietnam, ten of Laos, ten of Cambodia, ten of Indonesia and one hotel in Brunei Darussalam. Each award was presented by the Minister of Tourism of the respective country.

The award ceremony was also attended by the Tourism Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg and Sarawak Tourism Board CEO Datuk Rashid Khan.