Liuqiu B&B Operators Show Strong Support: Eco-Friendly Hotels Are Imperative

To encourage B&B operators in Little Liuqiu to fulfill their social responsibility for environmental protection, the Pingtung County Environmental Protection Bureau specially held an "Eco-Friendly Hotel Promotion Briefing" in Liuqiu Township on the 14th, attracting more than a hundred participants including B&B operators in the Little Liuqiu area, non-profit organizations, and members of the public interested in the eco-friendly hotel issue, filling every seat.

Liuqiu Township is located on an offshore island of Pingtung County. Due to convenient transportation and abundant marine ecology, especially having what is considered the highest sea turtle density in the world, it attracts tourists from all over every year. However, the amount of garbage left behind by visitors has also risen year by year. Plastic waste flowing into the ocean has led to an increasingly serious situation of sea turtles and fish ingesting it by mistake. The Environmental Protection Bureau specially held the "Eco-Friendly Hotel Promotion Briefing" in Liuqiu Township on the 14th, which received full support from the B&B operators present. After the meeting, witnessed jointly by Hung Shu-hsing, Director of the Supervision and Evaluation Division of the Environmental Protection Administration of the Executive Yuan, and Township Chief Lin Ai-ling, the island's B&B operators all pledged to take on the task of protecting the environment and joined the ranks of eco-friendly hotels.

Eco-friendly hotels are an initiative promoted by the Environmental Protection Administration of the Executive Yuan to encourage everyone to bring their own toiletries when staying at hotels, to not have bed sheets and towels changed during a continued stay, and to take other environmentally friendly actions by operators. Referring to the Green Coin approach promoted by hotels in Japan, the Eco-Friendly Hotel Promotion Program was launched. Through operators responding to consumers' green actions by offering room rate discounts, dining vouchers, product discounts, package itineraries, or discounts on visits to tourist attractions and other rewards, or by allocating part of the savings from reduced amenity costs to sponsor environmental protection activities, the program aims to encourage participation by all. The public can look up eco-friendly hotels across Taiwan, China, on the Green Life Information Network.

Finally, the Environmental Protection Bureau specially reminds visitors that B&Bs in Little Liuqiu will no longer proactively provide disposable amenities, so everyone must be sure to bring their own toothbrushes, reusable cups, bags, and tableware, etc. To maintain the sustainable ecological environment of Liuqiu Island, visitors are asked not to forget to take their garbage away and leave (Liu) behind beautiful memories.