HOW green are Myanmar’s hotels? A group of expert travel and tourism bodies are in the process of finding out. They are selecting contenders for the ASEAN Green Hotel Award 2010.

Deputy Minister of Hotels and Tourism Brigadier General Aye Myint Kyu told The Myanmar Times that the ministry – together with the Myanmar Marketing Committee (MMC), Myanmar Hoteliers’ Association (MHA) and the Union of Myanmar Travel Association (UMTA) – were inspecting the hotels to ensure that they met the criteria for entry into the competition.

Factors taken into consideration for the award include the use of green products; collaboration with the local communities and organisations; human resources development; solid waste management; energy and water efficiency; indoor and outdoor air quality management; noise pollution control; toxic and chemical substance disposal management; and waste water treatment.

Brig Gen Aye Myint Kyu said the selection process began last month and would continue until the end of March. The four travel bodies would each review 10 potential contenders before jointly selecting competitors for the award.
“We have to submit the list of selected Myanmar hotels to ASEAN in June or July,” he said.

The award is presented every two years to 10 hotels in each ASEAN member country. The winners of the 2008 award from Myanmar were the Strand Hotel, the Governor’s Residence and Kandawgyi Palace in Yangon; Bagan-based Thiripitsaya Sakura Hotel and Bagan Hotel River View; Ngapali-based Amazing Ngapali Resort and Sandoway Resort; Ngwe Saung-based Aureum Palace and Sunny Paradise, and Hill Top Villa Resort Hotel in Kalaw. – Pan Eiswe Star