All posts by : Green-TT

Useful Tips to enjoy the beach during COVID

As much as the COVID-10 Pandemic has affected outdoor recreational activities, there have been steps taken by Blue Flag National Operators and Beach Managers around the world to reduce the spread of the deadly virus. If you are able to select a Blue Flag awarded site, the suggestions below are probably implemented already.

Swim and Go- There is no evidence that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can spread to people through water in these places. So take a swim, enjoy the water and leave.

Social Distance while at the beach. If you cannot swim and go, then practice safe distancing using a barricade. While there might be enough space at the beach, sometimes the boundaries between users can get blurred. Keep your distance by creating your own cordoned area. This was presented by the Blue Flag National Operators of Spain in the form of a safe beach kit, initiated by the Department of Tourism of the Gandia City Council, Spain aimed at making it easier to maintain safety distance on the beach. The KIT PLAYA DE GANDIA (Gandia Beach Kit) consists of four wooden pegs and four strips that can build a plot of 16 square meters.

Social distance for safer queuing to the bathroom- if you really need to go be sure to keep your distance on your way to the toilet. Ensure 2.5m (6 feet) width between persons at all times.

Use hands-free devices. The installation of hands-free sanitization equipment eliminate common touch points and the spread of bacteria in high risk areas. There are elbow-operated dispensers and foot-operated foot wash instead of using your hands. Special thanks to Blue Flag Ireland and Spain for sharing their COVID-19 best practices, I hope these initiatives will help to keep you and your loved ones safe.

Only three Caribbean countries so far have beaches certified by Blue Flag, an international programme for assessing the health of coastal waters. Nazma Muller investigates why this matters to sea-bathers and the tourism sector alike.

It’s the last thing you want to think about while enjoying a dip in the sea, but if terms like “stormwater runoff” and “combined sewer overflow” mean anything to you, then you know what they can do to beaches, and the health of swimmers. It’s been estimated that thousands of “CSO events” across North America discharge millions of gallons of raw sewage and stormwater annually into the sea — along with tonnes of plastic and rubbish. It’s enough to make you resolve to stay on dry land.

Thankfully, the international Blue Flag programme flies in the face of this growing tide of marine pollution. Like a Michelin star for beaches and marinas, the Blue Flag is a symbol recognised by the discerning traveller who wants to be assured of a certain standard — and like a Michelin star, it’s also French. The concept was born in 1985, when the French government awarded the certification to coastal municipalities which complied with regulations for sewage treatment and water quality.

Two years later, to mark the European Year of the Environment, the Foundation for Environmental Education in Europe presented the French-born idea of the Blue Flag to the European Commission, with criteria added for waste management and coastal planning and protection. In 2001, the renamed Foundation for Environmental Education, based in Denmark, made the Blue Flag programme global. Today, more than four thousand beaches and marinas in countries across Europe as well as South Africa, Tunisia, New Zealand, Brazil, Canada, and the Caribbean proudly fly the Blue Flag as a mark of safe and healthy waters.

A growing army of eco-conscious travellers has prompted operators of beaches and marinas to step up their game and “go green” — or rather, in this case, go blue. This means meeting thirty-three strict criteria covering water quality, environmental management, environmental information and education, and safety and services. The water must be tested regularly for contaminants, and the operator must also ensure that beaches and marinas have adequate waste-disposal facilities, properly maintained buildings and equipment, clean washrooms, information on local ecosystems and environmental phenomena, public safety measures, and even access for the physically disabled.

Blue Flags are given for only one season at a time. If the criteria are not fulfilled during the season or the conditions change, the Blue Flag may be withdrawn. The International Blue Flag Jury is composed of representatives from organisations like the United Nations Environment Programme, the United Nations World Tourism Organisation, the International Lifesaving Federation, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature — all heavy hitters.

In the Caribbean, Blue Flags have been awarded in only four countries: the Dominican Republic (eleven), Sint Maarten (two), the Bahamas (four), and most recently, Trinidad and Tobago. Las Cuevas, a sheltered bay on Trinidad’s north coast that is once again becoming a nesting ground for marine turtles, received the country’s first Blue Flag in 2014. The initiative was first considered by the beach operator, the state-owned Tourism Development Corporation (TDC), in a bid to capitalise on the island’s eco-tourism potential by setting environmental standards for the beaches that the TDC operates.

“Trinidad and Tobago has done a lot of work since they started working on the implementation of the Blue Flag programme,” says Sophie Bachet Granados, Blue Flag International Director. “Las Cuevas beach is the first fully compliant site in Trinidad, and, I am sure, an example for all future sites in Trinidad and Tobago. We are looking forward to seeing the programme develop in the country, as I know new sites are already working to reach full compliance for their next jury in September 2015.”

Asclepius Green, an independent NGO, was selected to be the national coordinator of the Blue Flag programme based on its background in eco-tourism, eco-resort site development, marine biology, and environmental systems. Joanna Moses-Wothke, who leads the NGO, explained that water testing is by far the most difficult and expensive factor in qualifying for the Blue Flag. “One hindrance to meeting the criteria is the cost of water quality testing,” she says. “In some countries the government pays for the tests to be done. So that is something we would like to push for — water quality testing around the country.”

The public too plays a major role in ensuring that standards are maintained at a Blue Flag beach, Moses-Wothke said. She urges beachgoers to contact her (via Facebook or email, preferably with photos) if they see any breaches of the Blue Flag standards. Complaints are sent to the national jury, which is made up of NGOs and government bodies, and depending on the severity of the issue of non-compliance, the national operator has a week to resolve the problem, or the flag must be taken down. “We also do control visits — some unexpected — at least once a month,” Moses-Wothke added, “and the national jury does site visits as well.”

Asclepius Green also conducts gap analyses of other beaches in Trinidad and Tobago. At present, three beach operators would like to apply for additional Blue Flags: Bacolet Bay Hotel in Tobago, the Chaguaramas Development Authority (beach operator for the north-west coast of Trinidad), and the TDC for the world-famous Maracas Beach.

When the Blue Flag was raised at the Las Cuevas Beach Facility in January 2015, TDC chairman Umesh Rampersad said it would send a strong message to the world that Trinidad and Tobago is serious about conservation. With Cuba opening up to the United States travel market, the menu of Caribbean beaches now available to American tourists has just doubled. “Being able to tout that your beach has an independently and internationally recognised certification is one way to communicate to the world market that a certain quality of experience can be expected,” said Rampersad. And it should help ordinary beachgoers to better enjoy their swim, safe in the knowledge that the beautiful waters of Las Cuevas Bay are also clean and healthy.

CARIBBEAN-BEAT.COM

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, Tuesday October 4, 2016 –For the third consecutive year, Trinidad and Tobago’s Las Cuevas Beach Facility has been recognized with Blue Flag Certification by the Blue Flag International Jury.

The certification is awarded to beach and marina facilities that meet a strict criteria of water quality, environmental management, the provision of environmental education and information and the provision of safety and security services.

Blue Flag is an internationally-recognized, voluntary environmental award presented to organizations and facilities that reach the appropriate level of environmental management and education in respect of their beaches and marinas.

In Trinidad and Tobago, the Blue Flag programme is coordinated by Asclepius Green, a local non-governmental organization (NGO), and the Tourism Development Company Limited (TDC) in an effort to ensure sustainable development of the sector and the proper management of human impacts on the environment, while ensuring high levels of visitor satisfaction.

At Blue Flag beaches like Las Cuevas, there are dedicated management committees set up to conduct environmental audits of the site and its facilities.

The committee is also responsible for ensuring that nearby habitats, such as nesting leatherbacks in Las Cuevas, are protected and managed sustainably. In addition, there is a 12-member National Jury comprised of representatives of various organizations throughout Trinidad and Tobago.

The Tourism Development Company says it will continue to work with Asclepius Green and the Blue Flag Jury to ensure the beach maintains its acquired status and continues to work on the establishment of other Blue Flag beaches within the twin-island nation.

CARIBBEAN360.COM

On the 28th and 30th July 2020, the Tobago Tourism Agency Ltd. (TTAL) in partnership with Green T&T officially launched the Tobago Green Key programme through the virtual engagement of approximately forty (40) owners and managers of small and large tourism accommodation facilities in Tobago.  

The Green Key award is a leading standard of excellence in the field of environmental responsibility and sustainable operation within the tourism industry. There are over 3200 Green Key sites globally with a heavy concentration of these sites within Tobago’s key source market of the United Kingdom and Europe. The decision taken by the TTAL to encourage local tourism establishments in Tobago to be Green Key certified is a strategic one given the global demand for an eco-friendlier tourism and signals strong commitment and action to raising the standard of quality at the destination and the overall international appeal of destination Tobago. Narendra Ramgulam, Director Tourism Product Development & Destination Management at the TTAL states “Green Key is critically important to ensure that we develop and encourage low carbon footprint products for our destination. This not only gives us an attractive appeal in the eyes of our eco-seeking global customers especially from the UK and Germany, but it raises the standard and quality of sustainable products on the island of Tobago and enhances development that are in sync with our image and brand. Both the Green Key and Blue Flag Certification – an ecolabel for beaches and marinas, will give us an edge and competitive advantage over our competitors. Our stakeholders have shown an interest in engaging in the Green Key programme, not only for its competitive advantage but because they believe that it is the right thing to do from an environmental perspective and this augers well for the future of the industry here.”   

This prestigious eco-label represents a commitment from tourism business owners that their establishments adhere to the strict international criteria as stipulated by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE). A guest opting to stay at a Green Key awarded property is one of the greatest ways a guest can make a difference on an environmental and sustainability level. Green T&T, a local environmental non-governmental organization acts as the national operator on behalf of FEE in Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) for the coordination of both the Green Key and Blue Flag programmes. Green T&T is dedicated to increasing environmental awareness and improving environmental consciousness through education and environmental certification in T&T. Tenisha Brown-Williams, Green Key Coordinator at Green T&T believes in this COVID-19 period, those destinations that commit and follow through with solid environmental practices will gain competitive advantages since travellers are now more conscious of how safety, sanitation and environmental practices will aid in preserving their well-being. The Green Key certification, she states, can boost Tobago’s visibility and appeal on the international market to the ‘green traveller’ who will visit Tobago’s pristine and unique environment and act responsibly.

The Green Key programme is currently open to the following categories within the hospitality and tourism sector: Hotel & Hostel and Small Accommodation and will later include Attractions, Restaurants and Conference Centers in Tobago. For further information in attaining the prestigious Green Key award, please visit https://green-tt.org/green-key/ or https://www.visittobago.gov.tt/corporate/trade-resources/green-key or contact the TTAL at +868 612 8825 ext. 2005 or email: kcowie@tobagotourism.org or email the National Green Key Coordinator at greenkey@green-tt.org