MANILA -- A total of twenty-two hotels and three cities were awarded with the annual Association of Southeast Asian NAtions (ASEAN) Tourism Standards Awards during a ceremony led by the Department of Tourism (DOT) in Manila.
The ASEAN Tourism Standards Awards is an initiative undertaken by all 10 ASEAN member states to encourage stakeholders in their respective countries to further improve standards in terms of sustainable tourism services.
The award is in line with the bloc's objective to make the region a globally-known "Quality Single Destination."
According to Danilo Intong, director of DOT-Office of Tourism Standards and Regulation, the recognition is "part of the ASEAN agreement on sustainable tourism development," and has evidently contributed to the region's tourism.
"It contributes a lot because a lot of people now are going green so they go for facilities with organic food, has clean and natural way of operating their facilities," he told reporters in an interview.
"We started with two (award categories) in the ASEAN level," he said, adding more categories were eventually added.
In the main ASEAN awards, where establishments from all ten ASEAN member states are nominated, there is the ASEAN Green Hotel Award, the ASEAN Clean Tourist City Award, and the the ASEAN MICE Venue Award, with two subcategories, namely the Meeting Room in Convention and Exhibition Center setting and the Meeting Room in Public/Private Sector setting.
Last January 26, more than 40 awardees for the ASEAN Green Hotel Award, 47 awardees for the ASEAN MICE Venue Award, and 23 awardees for the ASEAN Clean Tourist City Award were recognized during the ATSA in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
In the Philippines, local awardees for ASEAN Green Hotel category are:
1. Amorita Resort (Panglao, Bohol)
2. Baguio Country Club (Baguio City)
3. Bluewater Maribago Beach Resort (Lapu Lapu City, Cebu)
4. Conrad Manila (Pasay City)
5. The Bellevue Resort Bohol (Doljo, Bohol)
6. Bohol Beach Club Resort (Panglao, Bohol)
7. Crimson Resort and Spa Mactan (Mactan Island, Cebu)
8. Fundacion Pacita Batanes Nature Lodge (Basco, Batanes)
9. Pangulasian Island Resort (El Nido, Palawan)
10. P & I Resorts, Incorporated - Pulchra (San Fernando, Cebu)
11. The Manor at Camp John Hay (Baguio City)
For the ASEAN MICE Venue hotel category, following received the awards;
1. Conrad Manila (Pasay City)
2. Radisson Blu Cebu (Cebu City)
3. Crimson Hotel Filinvest City Manila (Alabang, Muntinlupa City)
4. Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino (Lahug, Cebu City)
5. JPark Island Resort and Waterpark (Lapu Lapu City, Cebu)
6. Diamond Hotel Philippines (Manila)
7. Discovery Primea (Makati City)
8. Baguio Country Club (Baguio City)
9. Shangri-la's Mactan Resort and Spa, Cebu (Lapu Lapu City, Cebu)
10. The Bellevue Resort (Doljo, Bohol)
11. Quest Hotel and Conference Center - Cebu (Cebu City)
Lastly, the ASEAN Clean Tourist City award were given to Davao, Pasig, and San Carlos City of Negros Occidental. (PNA)
