Multiple award winner to present at CTO Sustainable Tourism Conference in Trinidad & Tobago

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (11 March 2013) – Multiple award winning hotelier Ewald Biemans, whose properties enjoy average occupancies of over 90 per cent, will share his innovative and profitable environmental approaches with delegates attending the region’s premier sustainable tourism conference in Trinidad & Tobago next month.

Mr. Biemans, the owner and managing director of Bucuti and Tara Resorts in Aruba, is an innovator in environmental practices and his success in achieving profitability through sustainable means has earned both him and his properties global recognition. In his presentation at the 14th Sustainable Tourism Conference (STC-14), the successful hotelier will outline a complete environmental roadmap for hotels and destination organizations to follow in order to be profitable while being sustainable.

He will also offer suggestions for government entities to implement in terms of environmental conservation at tourism level in terms of planning and construction of green buildings. “There is clear evidence that Mr. Biemans’ environmental practices are practical and successful. We see this evidence in the many awards he and his properties have won and in the fact that both his properties enjoy extremely high occupancies throughout the year,” said Gail Henry, the sustainable tourism specialist at the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO).

The CTO is organizing the conference in collaboration with the government of Trinidad & Tobago, through the ministry of tourism. “We are extremely pleased that Mr. Biemans has agreed to share the secrets of his success with our delegates and I’m certain they will gain a lot from his presentation,” Ms. Henry added. Among Mr. Biemans’ many awards are the International Hotel & Restaurant Association Environmental Award (worldwide) for “Innovation in Environmental Best Practice” at the annual congress in Istanbul, Turkey; the Caribbean Hotel Association – now the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association – award for Environmental Stewardship and the Green Globe Commendation award for environmental stewardship.

As a local pioneer in eco-friendly practices, Mr. Biemans led Bucuti into becoming the first hotel in the Americas to achieve the highly coveted ISO 14001 environmental certification in 2003 and has repeated the honour during the gruelling audit every year since. Recently a third Certification was added to the portfolio – Travelife ! Biemans is currently working on LEED Certification for his two properties. Green Globe certification has been achieved for the last 14 years.STC-14 brings together, tourism professionals, academics, researchers, policy-makers, consultants, government officials, hoteliers, students and everyone involved in tourism for three days of solid and relevant discussions and study tours on improving the region’s tourism product and achieving profitability through partnerships.

Themed, “Keeping the Right Balance: Enhancing Destination Sustainability Through Products, Partnerships and Profitability,” the conference will explore ways the Caribbean can enhance destination sustainability and competitiveness in the current global environment by examining a number of critical issues. STC-14 will be held from 15-18 April 2013 at the Hyatt Regency in Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago. Further details, including how to register, are available at www.caribbeanstc.com.