Sol Meliá Celebrates World Biodiversity Day In Its Hotels And Offices Worldwide

• In 2009 Sol Meliá was declared a “Biosphere Hotel Company”, a certification supported by UNESCO which recognises the company’s environmental, social and cultural performance in sustainable development.
• The United Nations has declared 2010 International Year of Biodiversity to raise awareness and promote teamwork to guarantee a sustainable future.
• Sol Meliá carried out more than 60 projects in 2009 which involved more than 10,000 guests, including collaboration on the protection and conservation of over 4,000 endangered species of sea turtles in Mexico.

Sol Meliá, the first “Biosphere Hotel Company”, will join in the celebrations tomorrow 22 May for World Biodiversity Day through a number of awareness projects in all of the company’s hotels and corporate offices aimed both at employees and customers. The activities reflect the company’s commitment to the protection and conservation of the natural environment, cultural integration, and society in general, all key values and factors in company strategy.

The activities aim to highlight the importance of preserving natural wealth and reducing its loss by raising awareness in all of those hotels located in biodiversity “hotspots” such as protected natural areas or regions of significant environmental value. The activities include volunteer work, cooperation in the conservation of local fauna, planting local plant species, cleaning natural areas, environmental entertainment and education activities, promotion of activities which respect nature, and the distribution of information, amongst others. All of the company’s hotels will also present guests with a welcome letter from the Sol Meliá Chairman, Gabriel Escarrer, to celebrate World Biodiversity Day.

Sol Meliá and the environment

Sol Meliá operates hotels in around twenty countries with biodiversity hotspots, including Costa Rica, Mexico, Spain, Egypt or Indonesia. The hotspots are regions with the greatest wealth of animal and plant species, but also subject to greater environmental threats and fragility. The company also operates 37 hotels located alongside protected natural areas. The uniqueness and diversity of natural resources is one of the biggest attractions of tourism. That is why the protection and preservation of the environment is one of the strategic principles of Sol Meliá. In 2008, the company approved its Global Sustainability Policy which defines the criteria for ensuring sustainable development. In particular, the management of environmental risk is handled in the company “Sustainable Development Manual”, aiming to act as a starting point and source of inspiration for hotels. The company has also inserted specific clauses on environmental protection into its agreements with other travel companies and tour operators.

The company commitments to environmental management have also been key to its certification as a “Biosphere Hotel Company” by the Responsible Tourism Institute. These commitments are allowing the company to make great progress in sustainability through tactical short-term actions, the consolidation of long-term projects, and specific activities brought to public attention, such as World Biodiversity Day.

About Meliá Hotels International

Meliá Hotels International was founded in 1956 in Palma de Mallorca (Spain) and is one of the world's largest resort hotel chains, as well as Spain's leading hotel chain. It currently provides more than 350 hotels in 35 countries on 4 continents under its brands: Gran Meliá, Meliá, ME, Innside, Tryp by Wyndham,Sol and Paradisus. Its product and service portfolio is complemented by Club Meliá, the only vacation club operated by a Spanish company.

In 2011, the family company founded by Gabriel Escarrer Juliá, that operated under the name "Sol Meliá" for decades, began a new stage in its development under the brand name that represents its present and its future: Meliá Hotels International.