Sunday 20 July 2014

Go go green farmhouses on Gozo

A set of farmhouses on the Maltese island of Gozo have bagged an “eco” label to certify they are “environmentally friendly” - just in time for holiday season.

The second-largest island of seven in Malta, Gozo is known for its prickly pear liqueur, Neolithic temples and a coastal rock formation called the Azure window (pictured).

They’re the first farmhouses to pick up the green labels from Malta’s Tourism Authority, since the 2002 scheme for hotels was expanded last year.

The authority hopes they will entice more environmentally-conscious travellers to the villages of Sannat, San Lawrenz, Xaghra and Xewkija.

Alex Incorvaja, Director UK & Ireland of the Malta Tourism Authority said: “The ECO certification initiative is another crucial step aimed at strengthening the development of sustainable tourism in Gozo.

“Not only are we a step closer to our eco island vision of 2020, we hope this scheme will increase tourism to our beautiful island as well as increased employment for Gozitans.”

Holiday companies are increasingly aware of eco-conscious travellers, with TripAdvisor recently announcing "Green Leader" awards to highlight certain hotels.