Rejuvenating the future - Spring City Lakeside Resort GSTC Sustainable Hotel Certification Ceremony

(June 2023, 6, Kunming, China) – On June 7, 2023, Spring City Lakeside Resort was awarded Bureau Veritas (Bureau Veritas), a certification body recognized by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) for its initiatives in green environment, ecological protection, natural humanities, employment and economy ), becoming the first hotel in China certified by Bureau Veritas to meet the GSTC Sustainable Tourism Standards. Representatives from Kunming Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, Yangzonghai Management Committee, Global Sustainable Tourism Council, Bureau Veritas and Keppel attended and witnessed the glorious moment.

At the certification ceremony, Mr. He Sixiang, General Manager of Spring City Lakeside Resort, said: "Spring City Lakeside Resort has been awarded the sustainable hotel certification by Bureau Veritas, a certification body recognized by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), which not only means that Spring City Lakeside Resort has become the first hotel in China to meet the GSTC sustainable tourism standards, but also affirms our efforts to improve our sustainability performance in protecting cultural and natural heritage sites and reducing our carbon footprint. Adhering to Keppel's concept of sustainable development, Spring City Lakeside Resort has been actively participating in and contributing to the sustainable development of the surrounding area of Yangzonghai and contributing to the development of tourism in Kunming and the whole of Yunnan. ”

Yang Zesong, Secretary of the Yangzonghai Party Working Committee and Director of the Management Committee, who attended the ceremony, delivered a speech: "On behalf of the Yangzonghai Party Working Committee and Management Committee, I would like to extend my warm congratulations to Spring City Lakeside Resort. Yangzonghai is a beautiful place, with charming natural scenery, excellent ecological environment, and strong cultural customs. In recent years, guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization, the Yangzonghai Party Working Committee and Management Committee have comprehensively established the development concept of innovation, coordination, green, openness and sharing, and the development of tourism in the region has made great progress. The Spring City Lakeside Resort won the GSTC Sustainable Development Hotel Certification, which is of great significance to enhance the external image of Yangzonghai, polish the golden signboard of Yangzonghai National Tourism Resort, and expand the brand power of "green" in Yangzonghai, the influence of 'green' and the driving force of 'green', and promote the sustainable economic and social development of the region.

Professor Fan Dehua, member of the Advisory Committee of Yunnan Tourism Research Academic Committee and former President of Yunnan Tourism Planning Research Institute, said: "On behalf of the Kunming Branch of China Tourism Academy and Yunnan Tourism Planning Institute, I would like to express my appreciation to Chuncheng Lakeside Resort for implementing Xi Jinping's Ecological Civilization Thought and taking the path of low-carbon sustainable tourism development, warmly congratulating the resort on being certified by the Global Sustainable Tourism Development Council, and expressing gratitude to the resort for its long-term contribution to Yunnan's tourism development. Eco-tourism is the core product and competitiveness of Yunnan tourism, and it is hoped that the resort will make achievements and experience in sustainable tourism development, build the resort into a leading sustainable tourism destination in China, and make new contributions to the development of high-quality golf in Yunnan, the creation of a multi-format resort with professional characteristics, the construction of an ecological civilization vanguard, and the radiation center for South Asia and Southeast Asia. ”

Ms. Sujun Tang, Director of GSTC, said: "The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) is responsible for developing and managing the GSTC Standard, the global standard for sustainable tourism, and accredits compliant certification bodies in cooperation with ASI (Assurance Services International) in accordance with the GSTC accreditation rules. Accredited certification bodies can provide sustainable tourism certification for the hotel/accommodation industry, tour operators and destinations. Today, on behalf of GSTC, I would like to express my heartfelt congratulations to Spring City Lakeside Resort on becoming a sustainable hotel that meets GSTC standards. ”

Ms. Zou Fengxian, Vice President of Bureau Veritas and General Manager of Bureau Veritas, also as a guest representative of the ceremony, said: "Sustainable development and eco-tourism are not only a common trend of global development, but also a concrete practice in response to the important commitment made by the Chinese government in maintaining ecological and economic development - "green water and green mountains are gold and silver mountains". Being accredited by a credible accredited certification body means that the organization's tourism goods or services meet the strictest social and environmental standards on the market. With increasing public concern about the positive and negative impacts that tourism can have, certification provides a reliable solution for travel-related businesses to deal with complex environmental and social issues. Today, on behalf of Bureau Veritas, I would like to celebrate the sustainability achievements of Spring City Lakeside Resort, and welcome more hotels and tour operators to join the GSTC certification and fulfill their ESG sustainability commitments. ”

Spring City Lakeside Resort's Keppel Corporation, a Singapore-based global asset manager and operator, has strong sustainable solutions capabilities in infrastructure, real estate and connectivity. Sustainability is at the heart of Keppel's strategy, which includes focusing on sustainability in our business operations and making sustainability our business.

In 1992, Keppel's real estate business entered China with an international development concept, and developed the Spring City Lakeside Resort in the Yangzonghai area in a joint venture with the Yiliang County Government of Kunming. Located in the eastern suburbs of Kunming City, Yunnan Province, the resort is a comprehensive tourism real estate project integrating golf, hotel, sports tourism and real estate development.

From the initial planning and design, construction to later operation of the project, Spring City Lakeside Resort has always regarded sustainable development as the core, adhered to the implementation of high standards of ecological and environmental protection work, and achieved many "green" achievements with years of tireless efforts and perseverance: in 2008, the project passed the ISO 14001 quality system certification; In 2009, it successfully passed the certification of the world's authoritative organization Audubon International Bird Cooperation Project and became a member of Audubon International Nature Reserve; In 2010, Spring City Lakeside Resort won the Audubon International Classic Habitat Certification; In 2012, he won the Green Mark Gold Award from the Building and Construction Authority of Singapore. Spring City Lakeside Resort has won nearly 200 honors such as "World's Top 2022 Courses", "Asia's Best Golf Resort", "Top 77 Best Courses in China and Hong Kong", etc., playing a leading role in the high-end cultural tourism industry in Yunnan Province and Kunming. In <>, Spring City Lakeside Resort won the world's top golf hotel resort award and ranked <>th among the world's top <> courses.

In line with its commitment to environmental sustainability, Spring City Lakeside Resort plans to effectively develop renewable energy by reducing the use of water and fossil energy by the end of 2025. Through measures such as replacing fuel vehicles with battery vehicles, scientifically controlling summer lawn growth, adjusting water-consuming tree species and deciduous tree species, and solar energy retrofitting with traditional equipment such as lighting and landscape, it is expected to save 7,2025 kilowatt-hours of electricity per year and electrify all transportation by the end of <>.

Spring City Lakeside Resort is also actively committed to giving back to the community in the process of sustainable development. Spring City Lakeside Resort has invested a total of about 31,6 RMB in various public welfare projects in Yunnan, organized nearly 1,8 hours of volunteer service for employees, and also provided funding for cataract rehabilitation surgery for poor people in Yunnan, treating more than 150 local patients and helping them see again.

Over the past 30 years, Spring City Lakeside Resort has created jobs for about 2,5 residents in the Yangzonghai area of Kunming and nearly 27 million yuan in local taxes and fees. In the future, Spring City Lakeside Resort will continue to strive to convey the resort's sustainable development concept to more travelers by creating and promoting sustainable tourism resort activities, such as farm planting, eco-friendly hiking, animal and plant resource exploration, etc., on the basis of obtaining GSTC sustainable hotel certification, and actively advocating environmental protection practices. At the same time, Spring City Lakeside Resort will also cooperate more actively with local governments to help the community, care for employees, and contribute to the construction and international development of the entire Yangzonghai plate and even the ecological community in Kunming.

About the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC).

The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) establishes and administers the Global Sustainable Tourism Standard, or GSTC Standard. The GSTC currently has two sets of standards: Sustainable Tourism Destination Standards for Public Policy Makers and Destination Managers, and Sustainable Tourism Industry Standards for Hotels and Travel Agencies. These standards are the guiding principles and minimum requirements that any tourism company or destination should strive to meet to ensure the sustainable development of the world's natural and cultural resources while fully exploiting the potential of tourism to contribute to conservation and poverty reduction.

GSTC standards form the basis on which the GSTC accredits certification bodies, thereby equipping them with the ability to provide certification services for hotels/accommodations, travel agencies and destinations with sustainable policies and practices. The GSTC does not directly certify any tourism product or service, but rather accredits the organisation that does so. The GSTC is an independent and neutral not-for-profit organisation with a diverse and global membership that includes national and regional governments, leading travel companies, hotels, travel agencies, NGOs, individuals and communities, all GSTC members are committed to achieving best practices in sustainable tourism.

About Bureau Veritas

Bureau Veritas (Bureau Veritas) is a world-renowned provider of testing, inspection, certification and technical consulting services. Founded in 1828 and headquartered in Paris, the Group now has around 140,1 offices and laboratories and around 600,80 employees in 000 countries around the world, with more than 3,500 professional qualifications and national recognitions. Bureau Veritas provides professional services and innovative solutions to more than 400,000 customers to ensure that their products, facilities and production processes comply with standards and norms in the areas of quality, health, safety, environmental protection and social responsibility, thereby helping customers improve their performance. Since restarting its operations in China in 1993, Bureau Veritas now has 55 offices and laboratories in 130 cities across the country, employing more than 17000,<> people. As a trusted business partner, Bureau Veritas provides innovative solutions that not only help customers comply with regulations and standards, but also reduce risk, improve performance and promote sustainable development.

Bureau Veritas is one of the world's leading GSTC hotel and tour operator certifications under ASI and GSTC accreditation, with dozens of GSTC hotel certifications issued in Turkey.

Keppel Corporate Profile

Keppel Corporation is a global asset manager and operator with strong sustainable solutions capabilities in infrastructure, real estate and connectivity. Headquartered in Singapore and present in more than 20 countries, Keppel provides critical infrastructure and services for renewable energy, clean energy, decarbonisation, sustainable urban renewal and digital connectivity. Through its high-quality investment platform and portfolio, Keppel contributes to advancing sustainability, the energy transition and the digital economy, while creating lasting value for stakeholders.

Overview of Spring City Lakeside Resort

Opened in 1998, Spring City Lakeside Resort is a joint venture between the real estate business of Keppel Corporation, Singapore's flagship multinational corporation, and the Yiliang County Government of Kunming. Located on the shore of Yangzonghai Lake in the southeast of Kunming, surrounded by mountains and beautiful lake.

Spring City Lakeside Resort covers an area of 7560,18 acres, including two world-renowned <>-hole standard golf courses, five-star clubhouses, holiday villas, luxurious rooms and suites, and conference and entertainment facilities. The poetic ecology of the mountains and rivers, the wonderful activities and the warm service make it ideal for leisure vacations, family outings and high-end business meetings.