The 314-room Novotel Cairns Oasis Resort has become the sixth property to receive Sustainable Tourism Certification through Accor’s partnership with Ecotourism Australia.
Accor plans to have all of its hotels and resorts in the Pacific sustainably certified by Ecotourism Australia, with 150 other properties beginning the evaluation process with the sustainability consultancy.
“Becoming the first Sustainable Tourism Certified resort in North Queensland is an achievement we are immensely proud of,” said Novotel Cairns Oasis Resort general manager Shelly Cuthbertson.
“Our hotel has been on a dedicated journey of sustainability over the past few years, and we have developed several initiatives to support our local community and minimise our impact on the environment. Being nestled at the gateway to the iconic Great Barrier Reef motivates us to identify innovative sustainability solutions, including our biodiversity reef restoration program, partnership with ecoSPIRITS and Indigenous employment scheme.”
Novotel Cairns Oasis Resort, which underwent a major renovation in 2019, has five event spaces, able to accommodate events with up to 200 delegates.
Although it’s the first hotel to certified by Ecotourism through this particular program, chief executive of Ecotourism Australia, Elissa Keenan, says more than 70 other tourism operators are Ecotourism Australia certified in the region. Nearby Port Douglas was also the first destination in Australia to receive ECO Destination Certification from Ecotourism Australia.
“As the demand for sustainable tourism experiences continues to grow, it is great to see the enthusiasm from non-nature-based experiences and accommodations to become sustainability leaders through globally recognised certification standards that provide assurance to their guests.”
Another sustainability consultancy EarthCheck also has certified operators in the North Queensland region, including hotels. The three Crystalbrook Collection hotels in Cairns, Crystalbrook Riley, Crystalbrook Bailey and Crystalbrook Flynn, all achieved silver level sustainability certification through EarthCheck in 2023, while Cairns’ Skyrail has been master certified by EarthCheck since 2017.
