Going global with Green tourism

Green Tourism Business Scheme logo and link
Green tourism is a truly global issue and one where best practice is exportable.

Often, though, we automatically assume someone else knows better. And while we should be alert to what is happening internationally in sustainable tourism, it’s good to know that Green tourism experience in the Highlands and Islands is being held up as a model. For New Zealand quality mark scheme, Qualmark has been so impressed by the Green Tourism Business Scheme (GTBS) in the UK that they are to adopt the standards too.

Just last month it was revealed that a third of UK’s top 50 greenest hotels are located in the Highlands and Islands. Now, the eco-friendly Highlands and Islands have inspired tourism chiefs half way round the world to follow suit, with the GTBS Gold Register award standards earned by 16 hotels in the HIE network area being at the forefront of the New Zealand accreditation scheme.

To qualify for GTBS status, businesses have to achieve a minimum standard from more than 120 separate measures to earn Bronze, Silver and Gold awards. The scheme's assessment criteria focus on a wide range of areas from ensuring best management practice and energy saving right through to buying local produce and caring for wildlife and the landscape.

But there’s no room for laurel resting within the industry, and this is evidenced by the launch recently of an innovative carbon-offsetting scheme at Scotland’s inaugural national sustainable tourism conference.

Climate Change Scotland is the brainchild of industry leadership organisation, Tourism Innovation Group (TIG), and aims to encourage industry players to reduce their emissions and off-set those that are unavoidable.

The scheme works by calculating the contribution to climate change caused by a particular activity and then offsetting that impact by investing funds in projects such as forestry, sustainable transport or energy efficiency, that either lock-up or prevent the release of CO2 equivalent generated by the activity.

The twist about the new initiative is that the projects are all based in Scotland, and ideally have some connection with a visitor experience thus completing the link between the activity, the carbon emission and tourism. Up to £2million could be generated for sustainable environmental projects by the third year of the scheme operating, it is estimated.

Some projects that are undergoing external appraisal to calculate their carbon and other benefits include proposals from New Caledonian Woodlands, John Muir Trust and Scottish Wildlife Trust.

The initiative is part of an industry wide push to secure the position as Europe’s number one sustainable tourism destination by 2015 and was launched at today’s event which was attended by more than 100 tourism industry professionals who are keen to home in on the business benefits and environmental advantages to be reaped from sustainable tourism.

Sue Crossman, project director TIG, commented: “Scottish tourism is dependent for its existence on carbon-intensive activities such as travel, heating and lighting, imported foods and so on, which all undoubtedly take their toll on the environment through climate change. In contrast, the industry is also to a large degree dependent on the perception of Scotland’s pristine environment and so Climate Change Scotland has been developed in a direct attempt to both help the industry continue to compete on the global stage and safeguard the future sustainability of the country.”

The venue for today’s launch event, Radisson SAS hotel in Edinburgh, is the first organisation to sign up to the scheme. Alexandra Hammond, responsible business consultant of the hotel said: “The Radisson SAS Hotel, Edinburgh fully supports TIG's Climate Change Scotland programme for Scottish tourism. It's wonderful to see a grassroots programme develop from within Scotland that will benefit Scotland's environment and communities. We are proud to participate in this programme as part of a larger effort by the hotel to minimise the carbon emissions associated with our business".

Peter Lederer, chairman of VisitScotland said: “Scotland couldn’t be better placed in terms of being a sustainable destination and if we want to grow tourism by 50% by the year 2015 we need to ensure that growth is carried out against a backdrop of care for the environment. I am hugely excited to hear about the private sector pushing ahead with plans for an offsetting scheme and the fact that all the funds will be invested back into Scotland is a further bonus – this is the type of innovation that should be applauded.”

Andy Ross, director of potential supported project, New Caledonian Woodlands, commented: "The launch of Climate Change Scotland demonstrates that the Tourism Innovation Group and the Scottish tourism industry are serious about finding innovative ways to safeguard the future success of the industry, while caring for the natural environment, upon which all commerce, including tourism, ultimately depends. The scheme allows Scotland to reinforce its position as a top-ranking eco-tourism destination and thus strengthen its appeal for potential future visitors."

Sustainable practices should be at the heart of any successful, ethical tourism business and growth in VisitScotland’s Green Tourism Business Scheme shows that sustainable principles are increasingly being adopted across the sector. More and more businesses are keen to enter the more ethically conscious niche of the market, to both safeguard the future beauty of Scotland and to tap into the growing number of tourists who crave sustainable holiday experiences.

Paul McCafferty, tourism manager at Scottish Enterprise, said: “Tourists and businesses alike are increasingly recognising the need both to reduce their carbon footprint and protect some of Scotland’s most valuable assets and this scheme will not only help underline the importance of protecting those assets but will help enhance Scotland’s reputation as one of Europe’s most sustainable tourism destinations.”

Climate Change Scotland is currently finalising its funding and governance arrangements, and goes fully live from December this year. Finance for the initial feasibility study came from major players in the industry: BAA Ltd, Scottish Natural Heritage and VisitScotland.

About the study:
· In order to investigate the development of this project, Ecodyn a well-respected firm of environmental consultants, were commissioned to complete a feasibility study. BAA, Scottish Natural Heritage and VisitScotland provided funding for the study.

· Ecodyn firstly modelled the carbon footprint of the Scottish tourist industry, and then applied a penetration based on comparable offsetting schemes, and attitudinal consumer research.

· The study restricted the scope of the annual carbon footprint to the following major impacts: Transport to Scotland, Transport within Scotland, Accommodation and Visitor Attractions and this has been estimated by Ecodyn to be in the region of 13.7 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.

· A cautious set of penetration factors were applied, which suggests that the scheme could require to offset 35,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent in Year 1. As a point of reference, a 240 room, environmentally conscious, 4-star, new build city centre hotel estimates its annual carbon footprint at 1,700 tonnes.

· In monetary terms, assuming an average carbon cost per tonne of around £10 (which is an approximate average of the industry norms), it is expected that Climate Change Scotland will attract revenues of over £2 million in stable year (Year 3).

· Scottish Enterprise supports the Scottish tourist industry by helping businesses offer a world-class service to visitors. It offers a wide range of business development services in areas vital to the industry. These include e-business, skills development, collaboration, innovation and new product and service development. It is also involved in supporting the development of the tourism infrastructure through visitor attractions, countryside facilities and improvements in public areas such as town centres.

· The Tourism Innovation Group (TiG) is a collection of over 50 tourism businesses, from all corners and all industries within Scottish tourism, which aim to drive strategic change and stimulate Innovation and Collaboration in the sector, pushing Scotland a step ahead of its competitors. It is funded by Scottish Enterprise, Highlands & Islands Enterprise and VisitScotland.