Punta Cana.– Green Globe, the leading certification program for sustainability in travel and tourism, congratulates the Barceló Punta Cana Resort on achieving certification. Throughout the certification and auditing process, the Barceló Punta Cana Resort made significant investments to ensure that the resort's infrastructure met the highest environmental standards.

A key focus for the certification was the upgrading of chiller systems and guest room air-conditioning as well as the installation of an ultraviolet purifier in the resort's water treatment plant. In addition, the resort's corporate social responsibility initiatives, which were introduced to assist the local community's school and students, also played an important role.

The new program encourages guests to donate notebooks, pencils and textbooks for the local community. The resort organizes day trips for the local school students, where the educational materials are presented and the resort's facilities are open for the students and their families to enjoy.

"At Barcelo, we are always reaching for higher and more specific benchmarks, like that of Green Globe," said Claudio Zboznovits, vice president of Barceló Hotels & Resorts sales and marketing in the U.S. and Canada. "Our guests appreciate our efforts, both to provide eco-friendly features but also to make a positive impact on the local community. This certification helps to further demonstrate our company-wide commitment in both areas."

Green Globe CEO Guido Bauer said, "The Barceló Punta Cana Resort has truly excelled with the certification program, and through their efforts, the resort has achieved 85 percent of the certification criteria. For a resort to succeed in reaching this level in their first year of certification is outstanding."

The resort is located on one of the Dominican Republic's most beautiful nature settings, alongside the white sands of Arena Gorda Beach at Bavaro Beach in Punta Cana. It is a Premium Barcelo all-inclusive resort, which joined the Barcelo brand in 2006.