The tourism industry in the South Caucasus has entered an era of exponential growth, fueled by a growing awareness of the natural beauty of the region and a recent preponderance of high-profile international sporting events. Promoting water conservation measures in the hospitality sectors of Azerbaijan and Georgia is therefore of critical importance, both for preserving precious water resources as well as appealing to increasing consumer demand for a sustainable hotel experience.
The H2Otel Water Saving Awards is the first award competition in the South Caucasus celebrating water conservation in the hospitality industry. An initiative of the UNDP-Kura II Project, the objective of this awards program is to promote public-private partnerships in reducing stress upon water resources in the Kura River Basin of Georgia and Azerbaijan.
Participating hotels in the H2Otel Water Saving Awards receive trainings in cost-saving water conservation methods, as well as useful tools for monitoring and reducing water consumption. Hotels also receive exclusive access to marketing and branding materials to appeal to a rapidly growing customer base demonstrating a preference for hotels that minimize their environmental impact through water saving.
Beyond just facilitating public-private partnerships, the H2Otel Water Saving Awards program has proven to be an excellent opportunity for the Kura II Project to foster collaboration among national and international organizations interested in promoting sustainability within the hospitality industry.
The Kura II Project and the H2Otel Water Saving Awards are proud to partner with the International Tourism Partnership (ITP), founded by Prince Charles over 25 years ago to promote responsible business within the hotel industry. ITP has developed the Hotel Water Measurement Initiative (HWMI), a simple, free spreadsheet model designed to help hotels of all sizes track their water consumption as the basis of a water conservation plan. The HWMI model has been translated by the UNDP-GEF Kura II Project into the Azerbaijani and Georgian languages to facilitate local uptake of the model.
At the domestic levels, the H2Otel Water Saving Awards are delighted to partner with the Azerbaijan Hotel Association and the Welcome to Georgia! National Tourism Awards. These organizations recognize the importance of promoting sustainability in the hospitality industries of their respective countries, and are key to connecting with candidate hotels.
The response to the H2Otel Water Saving Awards has been enthusiastic, and the first rounds of awards in Azerbaijan and Georgia will be issued in December 2019. Award winners will receive high-profile domestic and international publicity, including through the Azerbaijan Hotel Association, the Welcome to Georgia! National Tourism Awards, the International Tourism Partnership, and the UNDP-GEF Kura II project network. Winners of the award will be featured in Green Hotelier, an initiative of ITP and the leading online source of information on the sustainable and responsible agenda within the hotel industry, reaching over 30,000 properties worldwide.
Join us in celebrating water conservation in the hospitality industry! Follow the activities of the H2Otel Water Saving Awards on Social Media!
© 2026 IW:LEARN
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
/1x.jpeg?auto=webp)
/1x.jpeg?auto=webp)
/1x.jpeg?auto=webp)
/1x.jpeg?auto=webp)
/1x.jpeg?auto=webp)
/1x.jpeg?auto=webp)