With an investment value of more than 200 billion riyals, the Kingdom is adopting a number of green hotel projects, on an area of 20 million square meters since 2014, explained Dr. Ihab Al-Farra, associate professor at the Faculty of Tourism and Antiquities at King Saud University during the seminar «The Future of Ecotourism in Riyadh City» within the activities of the 9th Saudi Travel and Tourism Investment Forum currently held in Riyadh, expecting these investments to double in the coming years.
Marriott is the first green hotel
Dr. Ihab Al-Farra, Associate Professor at the College of Tourism and Archaeology at King Saud University, revealed that Riyadh has received the laying of the foundation stone for the Marriott Hotel and Marriott Hotel Apartments in the Embassy District, which is considered the first green hotel to be established in the Kingdom and is scheduled to open in 2018, as the hotel takes into account the highest specifications of environmentally friendly smart buildings, and said during the seminar "The Future of Ecotourism in the City of Riyadh" within the activities of the 9th Saudi Travel and Tourism Investment Forum currently being held in Riyadh: "The Riyadh region is currently witnessing the implementation of a comprehensive and diverse set of projects and programs in the field of ecotourism and that
Green Hotel Standards
Al-Farra enumerated during the seminar the most important criteria that must be met in green hotels; such as relying on the natural environment in most operating systems and the effective contribution of the hotel facility in protecting the environment, relying on renewable energy sources such as solar and wind energy, recycling gray water and using it to irrigate gardens, as well as the use of garbage recycling bins in all hotel lobbies and facilities, and avoid using tools that would preserve environmental life.
Al-Farra listed the most important criteria that must be met in a green hotel, such as relying on the natural environment in most operating systems and the effective contribution of the hotel establishment to protect the environment.
Investment attractiveness of the industry
Al-Farra urged investors in the field of hotel hospitality to pay attention to the establishment and development of green hotels that contribute to the preservation of the environment, pointing out that the global trend of the World Tourism Organization seeks to develop and develop ecotourism and meet the needs of tourists while preserving natural features and the health of wildlife. He pointed out that the Kingdom is characterized by distinct environmental areas such as islands, marine coasts and natural reserves, which in turn makes the Kingdom one of the most prominent countries in the field of ecotourism, pointing out that the relationship between tourism and environment is complementary.
He touched on international programs to measure the efficiency and technology of green facilities, including the Leadership in Energy Technology LEED program, which includes a number of national green building councils in more than 90 countries in the world, which evaluates facilities according to specific criteria and gives them accredited certificates, and the Green Key program The<span class="Apple-green
