L-R Mr Jesmond Xuereb Director of the Malta Intelligent Energy Management Agency and Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism Dr mario de Marco

Survey of hotels' energy consumption

The Malta Intelligent Energy Management Agency (MIEMA) will be carrying out a survey in hotels with the aim to test their energy sustainability by collecting information on existing facilities and practices; and providing them with the opportunity to reap the benefits of responsible tourism investment, by guaranteeing quality services, efficiency, strategic and profitable long-term growth of the tourism industry.

The Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism, the Hon. Dr Mario de Marco announced details of this initiative during a News Conference held recently.

He said that results of the survey will be used as a basis of recommendations for this sector in terms of greener investment and practices which will ultimately lead to increased competitiveness. They will also enable hotel operators to apply for European funds under the ERDF scheme (50% co-funding) which was launched recently by Malta Enterprise.

“In this scenario, it is fundamental to outline that over the coming years, we need to move forward and to overcome such economic challenges by ensuring that Malta’s tourism product remains highly competitive and also to ensure that price competitiveness remains a central feature for all tourism enterprises,” insisted Dr de Marco.

He also referred to the National Tourism Policy which refers to the need to prioritize on the requirement to ensure that tourism operators integrate investment that provides the opportunity to increasingly shift towards an environmental responsible attitude and a greener economy. The shift towards better intelligent use of energy resources in the hotel industry is considered to be a central approach towards promoting competitive and sustainable tourism development in the Maltese Islands.

“Thus, our goal is to ensure that local service providers continue to achieve price competitiveness by integrating investment that provides the opportunity to reduce on cost cutting elements,” added Dr de Marco.

The Parliamentary Secretary concluded that this is yet another tangible way through which the authorities are supporting the hotel sector to be able to use the current international crisis to focus on the product it is offering, enhance its operation and create synergies whilst addressing environmental concerns.

The news conference was also addressed by Mr Jesmond Xuereb, Malta Intelligent Energy Management Agency (MIEMA); Mr Karl Herrera, Malta Enterprise (ME); Mr George Schembri, Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association (MHRA); and Ing. Andrew Vella, Ministry for Resources and Rural Affairs (MRRA).

For further information, interested hotel operators are to contact the MIEMA, on tel. 2133 1505, fax. 2133 1505 or by sending an email to info@miema.org or the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association.