Doha: Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) has called on partners from the public and private sector, including hotels and tourism institutions, to take part in Earth Hour, a global event organised by World Wildlife Fund (WFF) to raise awareness about climate change.
QTA is encouraging its stakeholders to turn off their lights for one hour at 8.30pm on March 28.
All non-essential lights will be switched off or dimmed in these establishments, while hotels will be prompted to urge guests to turn off or dim the lights in their rooms or hotel apartments.
Earth Hour is held annually to raise awareness about dangers of climate change, the need to ration electricity consumption and minimise carbon emissions to protect Earth from climate change effects.
Earth Hour was initiated as a lights-off event in Sydney, Australia, in 2007. Since then it has grown into an international movement. Last year, thousands of cities in more than 128 countries participated.
By taking part in the activity, QTA seeks to highlight the tourism sector’s commitment to save energy, preserve the environment and raise awareness about the need to protect the environment.
“In recent years, the world has witnessed increased interest about the need to preserve the environment, minimise the impact of CO2 emissions on the planet and limit their harmful effects on various fields, particularly the tourism sector,” said Saif Al Kuwari, Director, Public Relations and Communication, QTA.
“By taking part in this activity, we want to emphasise the importance of rationing energy consumption and achieving the environmental objectives of Qatar National Tourism Sector Strategy 2030.
“The strategy calls for increasing the tourism industry’s ability to protect natural resources and wildlife in Qatar and ensure the environmental sustainability of tourism projects.”
On its social media websites, QTA has called on everyone to take part in Earth Hour by shooting a 10-second video to capture the moment of turning off lights or dimming them in institutions and hotels in Qatar.
It will produce a short video on the activity to document the moment of switching off lights in participating establishments and tourist institutions.
QTA is working in partnership with stakeholders in public and private sectors and the civil society to plan, organise and promote a sustainable tourism sector that would contribute to Qatar’s future and promote it as a world-class hub with deep cultural roots.
It has committed itself to United Nations World Tourism Organisation’s Global Code of Ethics for Tourism, aimed to enhance the tourism sector’s performance thus developing to efficiently contribute to the national economy.
The code stresses the need for tourist establishments across the globe to observe international environmental standards, especially that nature and the environment are key elements in hotel and tourism projects.
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