A greener hotel
The hotel installed solar panels on its roof several years ago but there were further improvements that could be made to ensure that the hotel had a minimal impact on the environment.
So they invested in measures to make the building more energy efficient; they replaced all external windows and doors, improved the insulation of outer walls, rebuilt the roof and installed a new heating and cooling system with heat pumps.
To do all this Inex Olgica obtained a loan of €379,000(US$392,094) from one of the EBRD’s local partner banks, Sparkasse Bank Makedonija. It is part of a common programme with the European Union to support small and medium-sized businesses in the country, for which the EU provides funds to help companies choose the most suitable equipment and technologies. There are also incentive payments once a project is successfully completed.
“It has been a major change that has helped us save energy and costs,” explains Andrea. The hotel is expecting to reduce heating and cooling costs by more than 53 per cent. Its changes are both in line with national energy efficiency laws and EBRD Gold standard.
A bright and sustainable future
Lake Ohrid is a destination that enjoys increasing popularity. While more than half of all visitors used to be domestic tourists about a year ago, the number of international visitors is now on the rise.
Numbers almost tripled compared with last year and tourists from abroad now account for 63 per cent of all visitors. In June 2022, 16.7 per cent came from Serbia, 14 per cent from Turkey, 7.2 per cent from Poland, 5 per cent from Germany and around 4 per cent from Greece.
“We can clearly see that people are now more excited than ever about travelling and there is a noticeable increase in international visitors. We are proud to show and share our region with them in a sustainable way. Our hotel can effectively reduce energy use without compromising the high quality of our services for our guests, while also benefiting from cost savings.”
And this is where the hotel’s improvements come in, Andrea concludes. “It’s an investment in the future – both for us at the hotel and for Lake Ohrid.”
