(Seychelles News Agency) - Two hotels in Seychelles -- Ephelia and Lemuria -- are among six establishments of the Constance Hotels and Resorts Group in the Indian Ocean to have received the Green Globe certification for the third consecutive year, a statement from the group said.

Both Constance Ephelia, located at Port Launay in the western district of Port Glaud, and Constance Lemuria on Praslin, the second-most populated island, scored 89 percent for 2016.

The highest percentage went to Belle Mare Plageon from Mauritius and Moofushi and Halaveli from the Maldives with 90 percent.

According to Jean-Jacques Vallet, the chief executive of the Constance Hotels and Resorts Group, “Receiving Green Globe certification just confirms that we are on the right track in promoting green tourism.”

Constance Lemuria is located on the northwestern coast of Praslin, the second most populated island, (Isabelle Le Gac/Constance Lemuria Resort) Photo license: All Rights Reserved

Saving energy and water, recycling, composting and protection of fauna and flora are some of the initiatives that have enabled the six Indian Ocean Constance establishments to receive the Green Globe certification.

Green Globe is the global certification that assesses the sustainability performance of travel and tourism businesses and their supply chain partners.

For the third consecutive year, the Constance Hotels managed to meet more than 80 percent of the applicable criteria.

The two Constance establishments in Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean, have made significant contributions to sustainable management in the island nation.

Speaking to SNA, Ehad Bhaukaurally, the Assistant Sales and Public Relation Manager of Constance Ephelia, said, “Our grey water from all the facilities are filtered and used for irrigation purpose. The sprinklers used have sensors on them which sense the level of humidity or rain, furthermore reducing the amount of water used.”

Samples of the desalinated water are constantly sent to the relevant authority to test its quality.

Bhaukaurally added that they use glass bottles which are filled daily and used in hotel rooms.

“That helps to reduce the use of plastic bottles. The glass bottles are cleaned, sterilised and refilled,” he said.

For Constance Lemuria, the main project is the ‘turtle conservation programme’ under the responsibility of Robert Matombe, who monitors the turtle activity and ensures the integrity of turtle habitat. The programme is ongoing since 1998. 

Robert Matombe  top photo) monitors the turtle activity under the turtle conservation programme (Isabelle Le Gac/Constance Lemuria Resort) Photo license: All Rights Reserved

The hotel has also set up an Eco Kiosk, where they display information concerning fauna and flora, and sea life.

The chief executive of the Constance Hotels and Resorts Group said, “Teams have been trained in our hotels and ensure the implementation and continuity of the various green initiatives throughout the year.”

Hotels in the Constance group also participate in waste sorting, and use of organic waste and these are used either in the hotels’ garden or made available to farmers.

Children are regular visitors at Constance Lemuria where they learn more about the wetlands and steps that the management of the hotel on Praslin Island have taken to improve the ecosystem. (Isabelle Le Gac/Constance Lemuria Resort) Photo license: All Rights Reserved