Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism.
Melia Hotels International has recently announced its endorsement of UNICEF’s "Friendly Hotel" initiative, which urges hotels located in Spain to become platforms for communicating with and heightening the awareness of clients and staff, alike, so as to promote the respect for and protection of children’s rights.
The hotel chain thus strengthens its strategic alliance with the United Nations Children’s Fund, which it signed at the end of 2010 and which has been implemented across the board within the company. With this alliance, Melia Hotels International, which was also the first Spanish company to sign the Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism (ECPAT Code), has orientated its social commitment towards this priority area, closely linked to the values of a family business.
The "Friendly Hotels" programme is further proof of the joint efforts with the private sector, allowing tourism companies to become social players that collaborate with the organization in programmes keyed to the protection and defence of children.
On referring to Melia Hotels International’s support of UNICEF’s new initiative, Sebastian Escarrer, the chain’s vice-president, stated "as a benchmark for the tourism industry, we feel that we must contribute to heightening the awareness of thousands of clients, and for this reason we will continue our work in disseminating child protection initiatives in which our company is involved, with the hope of helping to fulfil their objectives".
