TWENTY-FOUR more audits will be done in local small hotels under the third phase of the Environmental Audits for Sustainable Tourism (EAST) project which ends in December, 2002.

The 24 will have the benefit of a new audit assessment protocol developed by EAST and based on the experiences of EAST 2. The protocol applies to hotel properties from 15 to over 200 rooms and covers energy, water use, wastewater generation and disposal, solid waste generation and disposal, use of chemicals and other areas that affect the environment.

EAST began in 1997 in Jamaica as a demonstration of the benefits of improved environmental management in the hotel and manufacturing sectors. The first phase included environmental audits, EMS training and supplying environmental equipment in 14 hotels in Negril, and audits of 10 manufacturing facilities in Kingston and St Andrew.

The programme was extended in 1998-1999 to include additional hotel/manufacturing audits, introduction of the Green Globe 21 certification, analysis of financing and economic incentives for both tourism and manufacturing, and the development of an institutional plan for the Jamaica Hotel & Tourist Association to sustain the efforts of the EAST project.

Because of the common objectives and programme focus for the Eastern Caribbean, EAST activities are also being coordinated with interested public and private sector organisations in the Eastern Caribbean. Activities of EAST are coordinated with two other United States Agency for International Development (USAID)/Jamaica projects — Coastal Water Improvement Project (CWIP) and the Ridge to Reef Project.

One of the most valuable results of EAST has been the “Green Globe” verification of 10 Jamaican hotels to date. Green Globe 21 (UK) — an affiliate of the World Travel and Tourism Council — developed the internationally-recognised environmental standard specifically for the travel and tourism industry.

The hotels were either prepared for certification under EAST or by interdependent consultants employed to PA Consulting Group — the US-based group contracted by the JHTA and the USAID to implement EAST in small hotels.

The hotels are Negril Cabins Resort, Rondell Village, Seasplash Resorts, Sandals Negril, Couples Negril, Grand Lido Negril and Swept Away Resort; Hotel Mocking Bird Hill in Port Antonio, Sandals Montego Bay and Couples Ocho Rios.

All of the hotels have reported gains since achieving certification both in terms of real savings to more efficient and cost-effective operations as well as strengthened marketing platform.