2018 – A year of prestigious awards for The Cliffs Interpretation Centre – International level
La Pinta Ltd, which planned, built and manages the day-to-day running of The Cliffs Interpretation Centre, received five prestigious awards in 2018. All the awards are related to La Pinta’s endeavour to promote Dingli Cliffs and its surroundings through a best practice approach related to sustainability. At The Cliffs Interpretation Centre, the importance of the three pillars of sustainable development has been recognised since the early phases – environmental conservation, local economic development and social integration of locals.
At the International level, The Centre has been recognised in two awards:
• 1st Prize in the “Educational Programmes and Media” in the SKAL International Sustainable Tourism Awards
• European Bronze Award in the International Green Apple Award for Environmental Best Practice 2018
SKAL International, a member of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation, organised the 17th edition of the SKAL Sustainable Tourism Awards, which highlights entities leading sustainable practices and environmental preservation in the global tourism sector. The Centre won 1st prize in the “Educational Programmes and Media” category – the first time that that a Maltese Islands’ entrant has won such award. Three independent experts judged entrants according to a series of criteria including nature preservation, climate change mitigation, energy and water saving, culture preservation, local community involvement, local employment, employee participation, and economic viability, amongst others.
Sustainable tourism is defined as “tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities.” In fact, The Cliffs Interpretation Centre engages in sustainable tourism, through its focus on eco-friendly practices and promotion of off-peak seasonal tourism.
The Green Apple Award for Environmental Best Practice, organised by The Green Organisation, has recognised the numerous best practices of The Cliffs Interpretation Centre in relation to the environment. Evidence of the project components, and the achievements in relation to sustainable development, economy, environment and equity were considered. The Green Organisation is an international, independent, non-profit environmental group aimed at recognising, rewarding and promoting environmental best practice around the world.
The innovative amalgamation of gastronomy with free information dissemination to all types of visitors, making The Centre self-sufficient, has been acknowledged through such awards. In fact, as a visitor attraction, The Centre connects the natural surroundings with what they have to offer to visitors, involving an authentic hands-on experience.
La Pinta Ltd, would also like to take this opportunity to thank the Dingli Local Council, all organisations, authorities, entities and individuals for their belief and support to create such a self-sufficient project.
