Al Ain: The Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) yesterday announced plans to build the emirate's first five-star green hotel in the Al Ain Wildlife Park and Resort (AWPR) in accordance with the newly formulated green guidelines.

Preparatory work for the AWPR hotel, in Abu Dhabi's heritage heartland of Al Ain, has started and tendering for its development is under way.

Shaikh Sultan Bin Tahnoun Al Nahyan, Chairman of the ADTA and AWPR, said: "We want this hotel to be a showcase for sustainable hospitality. This is where guests will stay in total harmony with nature and wildlife."

He was speaking at the inaugural session of the World Green Tourism Exhibition and Conference in Abu Dhabi.

The green guidelines have been developed together with the Abu Dhabi's Urban Planning Council (UPC) and the AWPR as part of the authority's Green Hotels programme.

"These guidelines will be an extension of the UPC's Estidama's Pearl Rating system. These are the first government green design guidelines for new hotels. It means that shortly, new hotels will have a green rating alongside their star ranking," said Shaikh Sultan.

Estidama initiative

Estidama, which means sustainability in Arabic, is an initiative developed by the UPC and conceived to imbue a new mind-set that promotes the concept of living in harmony with the culture and environment.

The hotel in the Al Ain Wildlife Park and Resort is being designed to the highest green building standards, said the chairman. It will be the first hotel, he said, to be assessed by Estidama under its pearl rating scheme. "We expect it to achieve A4 Pearl rating. When the trial is complete, ADTA will absorb these green hotel standards into its hotel classification system," Shaikh Sultan added.

Niche concept

He said green tourism has been a niche concept for many. Many believe it is best left to those free from the constraints of commercial reality.

"This forum, I hope, will totally disprove this gross misconception. Green tourism is the new commercial reality."

Green Tourism's econ-omic potentials have been highlighted in the findings of a groundbreaking survey carried out by YouGov in the UK and the Middle East. The findings will be unveiled at the World Green Tourism Abu Dhabi.

Shaikh Sultan said the ADTA's Environment, Health and Safety Management System (EHSMS) is the first programme in the world that has been developed for an entire tourism sector. It has received a great response from the local industry.

"By the end of this year all Abu Dhabi's hotels and hotel apartments will have their own EHSMS systems. Abu Dhabi will have the world's highest concentration of hotels with a compliant EHSMS," he added.

The ADTA has created a web-based application where hotels can see how they are performing against their targets. They can also compare themselves with other hotels.

The authority has also been demonstrating the system on its stand at the World Green Tourism Abu Dhabi.