The Associação Brasileira da Indústria de Hotéis (ABIH) Joins the International Hotels Environment Initiative (IHEI)
London - November 17, 1999 - The International Hotels Environment Initiative (IHEI) is delighted to welcome the Brazilian Association of Hotel Industries (ABIH) as its fourth Affiliate Member.
As the first country in Latin and South America to join this international initiative, Brazil takes the lead in the region on ensuring excellence in business practice in the Brazilian hotel industry.
By joining IHEI's affiliate programme, ABIH will be able to exchange information on environmental best practice with IHEI's partners from international hotel groups, associated companies and other leading hotel associations. The partnership will bring environmentally sound and cost saving business practices to 15,000 hotels in Brazil. In addition, it will positively raise the international profile of ABIH's environmental programme, which is regarded as one of the most ambitious environmental programmes by a hotel association in the world of tourism.
Growing environmental pressures on the hotel and tourism industry increasingly drive small and medium size hotels to look to their trade associations to help them respond. Through the IHEI Affiliate Membership programme, IHEI offers hotel associations ongoing support in the development of environmental programmes as they work to meet the needs of their members.
"Hotel associations play a critical and determining role in assisting hotels at a local level to address environmental issues," says Karen Fletcher, Director of the IHEI. "We are delighted that ABIH are taking the lead in furthering the environmental efforts not only of 1,500 hotels in Brazil, but also globally."
The IHEI works to encourage continuous improvement in environmental issues that affect the hotel industry, highlights the business benefits of environmental management, develops hotel specific environmental tools as well as Green Hotelier magazine and works through partners globally to maximise the reach of the programme.
ABIH will join the Caribbean Alliance for Sustainable Tourism, The British Hospitality Association and The Danish Hotel & Restaurant Association (HORESTA) as an IHEI Affiliate. IHEI members comprise 11 international hotel groups, representing over 8500 hotels and over three-quarters of a million hotel rooms: Accor, Bass Hotels & Resorts, Forte Hotels, Hilton International, Marco Polo Hotels, Marriott International Inc, Radisson SAS Worldwide, Scandic Hotels, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, The Taj Group of Hotels and Hapag Touristik Union GmbH . IHEI is also supported by American Express Establishment Services, CH2M Hill and Quadriga.
The IHEI is a programme of The Prince of Wales Business Leaders Forum (PWBLF) which promotes business practices that benefit business and society, internationally.