Movenpick Resort El Quseir: Diving into Sustainability

Where the Nile flows closest to the Red Sea, a trade route crosses the desert and since ancient times has connected Luxor, the former royal city of Thebes, to the shoreline. Today, a natural paradise lies at its source, The Bay of El Quseir el Quadim, and is home to Mövenpick Resort El Quseir.

Green Globe has recently re-certified Mövenpick Resort El Quseir, which has been awarded for its sustainable operations on the coast of the Red Sea since 2011.

The Red Sea is a treasure trove of marine diversity and its protection is of great importance. In collaboration with the onsite diving centre Extra Divers, Mövenpick Resort El Quseir has initiated and developed an artificial reef to assist the rejuvenation of coral around the bay, which is vital to sustaining bio-diversity. The hotel sourced recycled steel parts, which had been discarded, to manufacture a steel structure on which to grow the artificial coral reef. The team from Extra Divers took care of the construction and planted small pieces of coral to create a new habitat for marine and wildlife.

The Red Sea has some of the world’s most bio-diverse coral structures and buried under the sediments of The Bay of El Quseir lies the forgotten Hatshepsut’s Harbour of the Pharaohs. To enhance guests’ diving experience at this Red Sea location, the hotel supports a one week Underwater Cultural Heritage Discovery Course, concentrating on underwater archaeology and aimed at introducing underwater cultural heritage in marine and fresh water. This annual program is organised in collaboration with The Confédération Mondaile Des Activitiés Subaquatiques (CMAS/VDST)

On land, resort guests have the opportunity to take part in nature conservation with an invitation to plant their very own olive tree within the premises. Guests who visit Mövenpick Resort El Quseir for the 10th time are offered this chance to create a living memory of their stays at the resort. At the beginning of 2016, the 250^th olive tree was planted by Mr. and Mrs. Cords from Germany who celebrated their 10th visit and were rewarded with their very own tree in the gardens of Mövenpick Resort El Quseir.

Mövenpick Resort El Quseir is also an innovator in the region and was the first hotel in Egypt to launch a fully biological sewage plant – TIA Compact Mini – utilising German know-how and technology. This plant has been developed particularly for the decentralized treatment of wastewater with the highest functionality and modern energy-saving technology. In combination with the MFT membrane disinfection unit, the treated water can be used for irrigation and the quality is of such high standard, it is also supplied to the laundry as potable water for cleaning purposes. With this project the hotel continues to emphasize its sustainable business practices and underlines its strong commitment to responsible tourism.

About Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts

Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts, an international upscale hotel management company with over 16,000 staff members, is represented in 24 countries with 83 hotels, resorts and Nile cruisers currently in operation. Around 20 properties are planned or under construction, including those in Chiang Mai (Thailand), Bali (Indonesia) and Marrakech (Morocco).

Focusing on expanding within its core markets of Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia, Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts specialises in business and conference hotels, as well as holiday resorts, all reflecting a sense of place and respect for their local communities. Of Swiss heritage and with headquarters in central Switzerland (Baar), Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts is passionate about delivering premium service and culinary enjoyment – all with a personal touch. Committed to supporting sustainable environments, Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts has become the most Green Globe-certified hotel company in the world.

The hotel company is owned by Mövenpick Holding (66.7%) and the Kingdom Group (33.3%). For more information, please visit www.movenpick.com.

About Green Globe Certification

Green Globe is the worldwide sustainability system based on internationally accepted criteria for sustainable operation and management of travel and tourism businesses. Operating under a worldwide license, Green Globe is based in California, USA and is represented in over 83 countries.  Green Globe is an Affiliate Member of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). For information, please visit www.greenglobe.com

Media Contact:

Bradley Cox
Director of Communications

Green Globe Certification
5959 W. Century Blvd., Suite 610
Los Angeles, California 90045
U.S.A

phone +1-310-337-3000
fax       +1-310-626-9982
email    [email protected]
web     www.greenglobe.com

Simone Höch
General Manager

Mövenpick Resort El Quseir
Sirena Beach El Quadim Bay
El Quseir, Egypt

phone: +20 65 3350410
fax: +20 65 3350420
email: [email protected]
web: www.movenpick-hotels.com