October 2012 - Association of Marina Industries
October 2012 - Association of Marina Industries
October 2012 - Association of Marina Industries
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Around The World<br />
Blue Flags Awarded to Beaches and<br />
<strong>Marina</strong>s Across the UAE<br />
Seven beaches in the UAE have been awarded the prestigious<br />
Blue Flag, an internationally recognised eco-label<br />
designed to help protect and develop stretches <strong>of</strong> coastline<br />
and marinas around the world.<br />
To bag a flag, the beaches had to comply with strict criteria<br />
based on four key areas - environmental management,<br />
information and education, water quality, public safety and<br />
services. There are 32 criteria for beaches and 24 for marinas,<br />
writes Kimberly Lobo.<br />
“It is crucial to raise environmental awareness and increase<br />
good environmental practices among the tourist industry, tourists<br />
and local populations to achieve a healthy balance between<br />
biodiversity protection and sustainable tourism development.”<br />
EWS-WWF is the national coordinator <strong>of</strong> the programme<br />
and initiated a successful pilot phase at Abu Dhabi Corniche<br />
beach in 2011.The EWS-WWF team has since been<br />
working with authorities and stakeholders to raise standards<br />
nationwide.<br />
Other UAE beaches that also currently fly a Blue Flag include<br />
Le Meridien Mina Seyahi in Dubai and Yas <strong>Marina</strong><br />
and Al Bandar <strong>Marina</strong> in Abu Dhabi. They were awarded<br />
the honour in 2011.<br />
In Abu Dhabi, Emirates Palace Beach and Emirates Palace <strong>Marina</strong><br />
scooped the awards while in Dubai, both the beach and<br />
marina at Jebel Ali Golf Resort and Spa picked up a flag, along<br />
with Jumeirah Open Beach and Al Mamzar Beach Park.<br />
The Le Meridien Al Aqah Beach Resort in Fujairah also<br />
gained Blue Flag status.<br />
The Emirates Wildlife Society in association with WWF<br />
(EWS-WWF), in partnership with the Foundation for Environmental<br />
Education (FEE), awarded the accolades.<br />
The Blue Flag programme is a global initiative <strong>of</strong> the Foundation<br />
for Environmental Education (FEE) to protect and<br />
develop beaches and marinas across the globe.<br />
It is a voluntary and globally recognised eco-label that has now<br />
been awarded to 3,849 beaches and marinas across 46 countries.<br />
Lisa Perry, programmes director at EWS-WWF, said: “Blue<br />
Flags are awarded for one season only and renewed annually to<br />
coastal locations consistently meeting the expected standards.”<br />
Perry added that the programme has earned its reputation<br />
as a trustworthy and transparent indicator <strong>of</strong> coastal excellence<br />
because shorelines must maintain the standards annually<br />
to ensure they retain the Blue Flag.<br />
The Blue Flag programme in the UAE is sponsored by Applied<br />
Materials. Michael Baxter, the director <strong>of</strong> corporate affairs at Applied<br />
Materials, said: “EWS-WWF is playing a critical role in promoting<br />
environmental information and education in the region.<br />
18<br />
New Gold Anchor Accreditation for <strong>Marina</strong>s<br />
The <strong>Marina</strong> Industry <strong>Association</strong> (MIA) has announced an<br />
extension to its well established Gold Anchor International<br />
Rating Scheme that provides customer service accreditation<br />
for marinas. The extension to the scheme will give marinas<br />
the option to be Gold Anchor accredited but without<br />
a specific 3 – 5 Gold Anchor rating. This non-rated option<br />
is called the Gold Anchor International General Scheme.<br />
Participation in the General Scheme is based on a marina<br />
meeting six core customer service criteria and a commitment<br />
to abide by a customer code <strong>of</strong> ethics.<br />
MIA Gold Anchor Committee member and a key architect<br />
<strong>of</strong> the Gold Anchor Rating Scheme Ian McAndrew said the<br />
addition to the scheme will provide more marinas with the<br />
opportunity to achieve Gold Anchor customer service accreditation.<br />
“This general scheme does not pretend to be as<br />
detailed as the 110 point rated scheme criteria that includes<br />
independent auditing. However it is the ideal option for<br />
marinas that do not want to be rated but desire Gold Anchor<br />
customer service accreditation. We also anticipate the<br />
general scheme will result in an extensive network <strong>of</strong> Gold<br />
Anchor marinas across the globe with many subsequently<br />
moving through to participate in Gold Anchor rating”.<br />
MIA President Andrew Chapman said the extension to the<br />
Gold Anchor Scheme was a logical move to enable more<br />
marinas to benefit from the value <strong>of</strong> the well-known Gold<br />
Anchor brand. “Customer service is at the forefront <strong>of</strong> any<br />
successfully run marina. This new initiative enables these<br />
marinas to achieve an industry customer service accreditation<br />
based on sound foundations and linked to MIA’s wellestablished<br />
Gold Anchor International Rating Scheme”.
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