October 22, 2019 – Valamar Riviera is launching the ‘1,000 Trees of Valamar’ initiative, the largest green action of its kind in Croatian tourism.
HRTurizam writes that as part of the initiative, Valamar Riviera will plant a minimum of one thousand new trees a year in its destinations along the Adriatic coast. With this initiative, Valamar wants to emphasize the importance of sustainable tourism development and environmental care as an indispensable criterion for creating new value and long-term quality of tourism in Croatia.
Already in 2019, more than a thousand trees and more than 50,000 different seedlings such as tall shrubs and perennials will be planted at Valamar hotels, resorts and campsites. The initiative will continue in the coming period when Valamar intends to plant at least 1,000 trees a year and continue intensive care for the protection and restoration of native plant species in its destinations. In addition to planting trees and plants, Valamar also continuously cares for the health of its existing plant stock, which includes over 30,000 trees covering a total area of 589 hectares from Istria to Dubrovnik.
“As a leader in tourism in Croatia, with the initiative of ‘1,000 Trees of Valamar’, we make our direct contribution to the protection of the environment in which we operate and live. We have a responsibility to create new value in a way that will preserve and develop our highly valuable natural resources for future generations. Last year, we invested around HRK 22 million in Green Valamar, of which almost HRK 7 million was invested in horticulture alone. I am also pleased that our staff is happy to be involved in our tree planting actions,” said Ivana Budin Arhanic, Vice President of Business Development and Corporate Affairs at Valamar Riviera.
The ‘1,000 Tress of Valamar’ initiative is a continuation of the development of the Green Valamar Corporate Social Responsibility program, within which Valamar has been systematically implementing environmental activities for years. Valamar uses 100% green electricity from renewable sources, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 65% between 2015 and 2019. Over the past six years, Valamar has installed 5,200 square meters of solar panels. Also, last year Valamar completely discarded plastic straws from use in its hotels and camps.
Valamar works to raise environmental awareness of guests, staff, and the wider community, which includes actions to clean up the Adriatic Sea and the coast, in which numerous sports associations participate every year. An ISO14001 environmental management system has been introduced in all Valamar facilities, with 75% of accommodation units in hotels and resorts also possessing the Travelife certification, which confirms the sustainability of operations to the highest international standards. As many as six Valamar campsites have been awarded the prestigious EU Ecolabel certificate this year, making them one of the most sustainable tourist resorts in Europe.
To read more about lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page.
