Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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Tourism industry looks to 'greener' future
The tourism industry needs to adopt more sustainable and environmentally friendly ways of working in order to secure its long term future and to combat climate change, Tourism Minister Barbara Follett said today.
As part of British Tourism Week Ms Follett attended the 'Best of Britain and Ireland Show' where she officially launched the Department for Culture, Media and Sport's new sustainable tourism framework for England. This sets out six key challenges for the tourism sector and honours the commitment made in the Government's tourism strategy for 2012.
Barbara Follett, said:
"All of us must try to behave in a more environmentally responsible way and the tourism industry is no exception. If we value the future of our world and if we want to protect our country's unique tourism offer for future generations, we must take sustainability seriously and not see it just as an add-on luxury. There are already many businesses doing exemplary work in this area but more must to do so and soon. We have to challenge our thinking about what is on offer and how businesses are run.
"This will not be easy in difficult economic times, but a sustainable approach can be good for business too."
The six key challenges that have been identified not only look at ways to help the environment but also focus on measures to secure the long term future of the industry.
Businesses will be encouraged to take advantage of technological improvements in buildings and equipment as well as trying to address the impact of tourism transport by increasing awareness and using more targeted forms of advertising.
But the challenges also look at sustaining the industry with more businesses encouraged to sign up to the quality assessment schemes and provide better access for all, and to improve perceptions of jobs in the sector with a drive to attract more diverse people who view careers in tourism as long term.
The Government will be working with the industry to address all these issues and will be monitoring progress regularly; a formal review will be undertaken in three years time.
Notes for editors
1. Case studies of successful sustainable tourism businesses are available. Please contact the press office for more information.
2. The full sustainable tourism framework can be found at http://www.culture.gov.uk/reference_library/publications/6003.aspx
3. The six key challenges identified are:
Minimising
environmental impact and resource use - by reducing waste,
recycling more, reducing energy consumption and saving water.
Tourism businesses should also look to take advantage of
technological improvements in buildings and equipment. By doing
this they can often reduce their costs and environmental impact.
Addressing the impact of tourism transport - In 2007, 75 per cent of holiday trips were made by car compared to 19 per cent by public transport. Convenience and cost account for the majority of car and air travel but with more targeted advertising and special offers, along with increasing environmental awareness we could help to reduce our reliance on certain forms of transport.
Ensuring quality and making holidays accessible to all - the strength of our industry will continue to grow if we develop and promote high quality holidays and also increase participation in the quality assessment schemes and green schemes. This must go hand in hand with providing easy access for all.
Improving the quality of tourism jobs - we need to improve the perceptions of the tourism industry and make it more attractive to new and more diverse, talented and skilled people so they view careers in the industry as long term and not just temporary.
Maintain and enhance community prosperity and quality of life - a healthy sustainable industry can improve the environment and prosperity of an area. The key to this success is involving the local community. They should be consulted at every stage of development and local high quality jobs should be available and businesses should be encouraged to source local food.
Reducing short-term seasonal demand - most holidays are taken around the summer months which can put tourism facilities under strain for short periods and can also affect the ability of businesses to offer year round employment. The industry needs to encourage off-peak short breaks and promote non-seasonal events to encourage the use of facilities all year round.
4. The commitment to address the key sustainable issues facing the tourism industry follows from the Government's tourism strategy for 2012. More information on 'Winning: a tourism strategy for 2012 and beyond' can be found at http://www.culture.gov.uk/what_we_do/tourism/3446.aspx
5. Work being taken forward by VisitBritain to promote sustainable tourism can be found at http://www.visitbritain.com/en/campaigns/green/?url=/green
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