EC3 Global, an independent industry environmental group , has named Banyan Tree’s properties in the Maldives its top hotel.
Love living it up on holiday as much as the environment? Now you don’t have to sacrifice your green credentials, with an advisory group naming the world’s top environmentally friendly luxury hotels. EC3 Global, an independent industry environmental group that certifies hotels according to their sustainable tourism efforts, handed its inaugural, annual “Seed Award” to the Banyan Tree’s properties in the Maldives, which it said have a comprehensive programme to protect the environment. The island nation off the tip of India, best known for luxury tropical hideaways and unspoiled beaches, is among the most threatened by rising seas, with the United Nations predicting that a rise in sea levels of up to 58 cm (23 inches) could submerge many of its 1,192 islands by 2100. “With the current focus on climate change, it’s fitting that the winner is located in one of the world’s most spectacular — yet vulnerable — destinations,” EC3 Global said in a statement. – From Reuters