Beach club and watersports holiday in Turkey
How this holiday makes a difference
Environment
One of the Managers has a French ‘Doctorat d’Etat’ in Economics of Environment (Paris I Pantheon-Sorbonne 1987, Prof. René Passet) and has been concerned all life long about Environmental issues. Within the ‘Green Stars’ Programme in process (122 criteria), this person has the title of ‘Eco-Manager’. Furthermore, the hotel managers are determined to get involved business wise in the struggle for preserving life conditions on this planet. This is why we are applying for Green Stars and Sponsoring Greepeace Turkey, among other things.
This determination also reflects in hotel daily practices: accurate information concerning Turkey, tourists are always advised where to purchase locally and encouraged to use local transports. Sport activities are totally environmentally friendly with a focus on it as a high quality part of the hotel's offers.
Our environmentally beneficial practices are mostly the following:
- Training and making staff sensitive to: recycle waste as much as possible, not using plastic bags (or using recycled plastic ones instead) and considering plastic as very toxic, keep the beach and seaside clean, have ‘Environment Friendly’ cleaning behaviours (not over changing hotel towels and others, use of Environment Friendly cleaning products (new to the Purchase Manager).In this area, and others (bank, IT companies…), we also try to deal as much as possible with the companies registered by, or sponsor of, WWF Turkey (or WWF International).
- Water: raise staff awareness on water rarefaction, watering garden early morning or late evening (and not more than necessary), showing example to close any tap that might have been left open, immediate repair of showers and taps if needed. (The usual habit in Turkey is to wait before doing anything!)
- Electricity: use of solar energy panels (bought when starting the Hotel) for hot water, showing example to turn off any lamp that might have been left on, turning off computers and TVs instead of leaving them in sleep mode, buying energy saving bulbs as much as possible (new to Purchase Manager).
- Wildlife: while discovering the beauties of the local nature doing sports, introduction to local wildlife (turtles, fishes, dolphins …) and to the practices to preserve it.
- Organic gardening: planting organic fruits and vegetables (strawberries, tomatoes, salads) in the winter 2010. Training the gardener to organic gardening.
- Priority to the use of environmental / Environment Friendly cleaning products, training of the Purchase Manager. Raising awareness of the staff on toxic products in general.
Community
We employ local people, and provide training and promotion opportunities when it is appropriate. There is a view of promoting quality both in the services offered to the guests, but also in how considering a job. We also give working opportunities 9 months a year to young people involved in sport who were before training in Sailing Clubs and Federations (without any income) or are studying to be sport teachers (those only work 3 months with us).
We are using local suppliers – including the village market - for our main food supplies. Both Managers were educated in a way to eat only seasonal / regional fruits and vegetables, so the hotel practices are basically a continuation of the way they have always.
Support local business as much as possible to ensure spending goes their way: guests are recommended to visit local shops (speciality of artcraft in the season in Gumusluk) and Gumusluk’s famous fish restaurants (in which they will be warmly welcomed if they say they are staying in the hotel since we maintain friendly relationships in the neighborhood). Guests are furthermore encouraged to spend locally by encouraging them to visit the interesting places around (Bodrum, Ephesus, Kos …) or use the next village (6 kms) excellent Diving Center with we work in partnership with.
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