Scottish Tourism Getting Greener

More Scottish tourism businesses than ever before are being encouraged to go green through a new initiative encouraging sustainability.

‘Going Green’ has been developed by national tourism organisation VisitScotland to help tourism businesses take steps to become more sustainable, giving them advice which will help them go on to become members of the Green Tourism Business Scheme (GTBS).

As a way of encouraging businesses to progressively become ‘greener’, those who sign up to the new free initiative agree to aim for a GTBS award within two years or sooner if possible.

The ‘Going Green’ website gives tourism businesses a checklist of activities they can introduce to become more sustainable. Businesses should be able to select some to introduce now and others in the coming year from a variety of areas including energy, waste, water, purchasing and transport. The activities are based on those necessary for GTBS membership.

Once they have signed up to Going Green, businesses will receive regular emails with encouragement to stay on the green path including case studies about other businesses who are working to reduce their environmental impact.

Minister for Tourism Jim Mather said: “I welcome this new practical initiative, ‘Going Green’ which gives the tourism sector the opportunity to become more sustainable. Businesses can make savings by taking simple steps such as saving energy or reducing waste and I’m confident this will result in even more businesses making a commitment to sustainability.

“Visitors are increasingly keen to reduce their impact on the environment while enjoying Scotland, and this initiative puts Scotland firmly on track in assuring them about our determination to tackle climate change.

“Climate change is a serious challenge, and Scotland has set a globally ambitious target of reducing emissions by 80% by 2050. To meet that everyone must play their part, and this initiative is another firm step in the right direction.”

VisitScotland’s Chief Executive, Philip Riddle, said: “Going Green gives tourism businesses simple advice on their environmental impact, helping them take the first step to becoming more sustainable by working towards membership of the Green Tourism Business Scheme.

“We are committed to working with the industry to make Scotland one of the most sustainable tourism destinations in Europe. We know that consumers are becoming more environmentally aware and we are keen to do everything we can to help more businesses become eligible to join GTBS.”

The National Trust for Scotland has a number of properties that have reached GTBS standards. Culloden Battlefied Visitor Centre is a Gold GTBS business.

Marian Porteous, Retail Manager, at the Visitor Centre said: ”The team at Culloden Battlefield Visitor Centre worked hard to achieve a Gold award with the GTBS. Not only was it a learning experience for the team but the award also shows visitors that we are committed to making the National Trust for Scotland’s properties more sustainable. As a leading conservation charity, we are keen to make the management of our properties more environmentally friendly, while enhancing the visitor experience. Visitors have been very positive about our efforts in this area so far and we see an added benefit in visitors returning to Culloden for future visits.”

The Green Tourism Business Scheme was set up over 10 years ago and has now been adopted in most of England. The scheme has more than 800 members across Scotland from B&Bs to international hotel chains and tourist attractions. GTBS businesses undertake various measures to work more efficiently and importantly are assessed to verify how much is being achieved. By doing this they help protect our biggest asset in Scotland – our unique and dramatic landscape.

Membership of GTBS also gives businesses an opportunity to save money through more efficient use of their resources, as well as giving them a marketing advantage to attract visitors who want to have minimal environmental impact on their holiday in Scotland.

Those who successfully meet the required standard and go on to achieve GTBS status are awarded either a Bronze, Silver or Gold award based on their level of achievement, which can then be promoted to visitors as an assurance of a businesses green credentials.

The Scottish tourism industry shares an ambition to grow revenues from tourism by 50 per cent by 2015, and Visit Scotland says it is crucial that this is achieved in a sustainable way.

More information on the Going Green scheme is at Greentourism.org

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