Archived Sustainable Tourism E-news

TEF E-News - Issue 1 - June 2004

Welcome to the 1st issue of the Tourism and Environment Forum (TEF) E-Newsletter, which is full of information about green issues that affect Scotland’s tourism industry.

To receive our e-newsletter every two months, tick the box at the bottom of the Contact Us form and tell us your email address.  It's as simple as that!  And sit back and let us keep you updated with green tourism news from across Scotland.

Communication is the Key to Success

TEF want to enhance communication between public agencies, organisations and tourism businesses to the benefit of Scotland’s natural tourism advantage, the environment.

TEF – working together to sustain Scotland’s natural advantage.

SUSTAINABLE TOURISM: MORE THAN A LABEL

TEF have worked with tourism organisations and businesses to develop a working and practical Statement on Sustainable Tourism. The statement considers the economic, environmental and social impacts that tourism has on Scotland and suggests possible solutions to minimise the effects on the environment. TEF encourages other organisations to adopt the 7 key aims contained in the statement in order to increase the sustainability of Scotland’s tourism industry.

To receive a copy of our Statement:

• TEF Sustainability Statement
• Contact us 

TEF has been working with wildlife tourism businesses to form the new wildlife tourism association, Wild Scotland. This ambitious group of businesses believe that Scotland should be Europe's number one wildlife destination, and plan to raise the profile of wildlife-watching opportunities in Scotland. Central to Wild Scotland is the importance of quality, responsibility and enjoyment.

For more information:

• Wild Scotland
• Tourism and Environment Forum Projects

NATIONAL MARINE WILDLIFE CODE OF PRACTICE

The Nature Conservation (Scotland) Bill is currently going through the Scottish Parliament. A recent amendment to this has resulted in Scottish Natural Heritage being given a new duty to prepare a national marine wildlife code of practice. The purpose of the new proposal is to ensure that a standard for operating is established across Scotland and that good practice is rolled out to all boat owners.

For more information:

• Nature Conservation (Scotland) Bill
• Recent Amendment to the Bill (PDF)

TOWARDS A CYCLE TOURISM STRATEGY FOR SCOTLAND

TEF was one of a number of organisations involved with a report looking to develop a cycle strategy for Scotland. This report is now published along with an Executive Summary of the findings. The findings, which align closely with the priorities laid out in the Tourism Framework for Action 2002 – 2005, provide recommendations for future action.

For more information:

• News Page

PERTHSHIRE IS GREEN AND GOLD ALL OVER

Perthshire is the first Area Tourist Board in Scotland to see all its Tourist Information Centres achieve Gold awards in the Green Tourism Business Scheme (GTBS). GTBS, one of VisitScotland's quality assurance schemes, is the largest green accreditation scheme for tourism businesses in Europe. It rewards tourism businesses for the way they address sustainable issues and minimise their impact on the environment. Perthshire Tourist Board can confidently claim to be going that extra mile to keep their competitive edge as Scotland’s premier green destination.

For more information:

• News Page
• Green Tourism Business Page
• Perthshire Tourist Board

SCOTLAND’S BUILT HERITAGE

The summer issue of the National Trust for Scotland's magazine 'Scotland in Trust' has now hit the shelves. In an article on sustainability, the Trust's marketing manager, Ian Gardner explains that sustainable tourism is an important approach, not just for our countryside but for our built heritage too. Concentrated within a short season, high visitor numbers are good but may result in wear and tear of the sites. Impact management is needed to minimise the degeneration of these properties. One of TEF's main aims, promoted in the sustainability statement, is to create a more even spread of visitors throughout the year. TEF works with many organisations to ensure that all elements of Scotland’s tourism product are experienced in a sustainable way. 

For more information:

• Tourism and Environment Forum Projects
• National Trust for Scotland

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

1. Tourism: State of the Art II, 27th - 30th June, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow

   Tourism and Hospitality research event organised by Scottish Hotel School. Scientific programme includes sustainable development and tourism planning, managing tourism in the natural and built environment and destination marketing.

2. Wild Land for Nature and People, 20th – 23rd October, Festival Theatre, Pitlochry.

   An international conference on sustaining wild land in the 21st Century, organised by John Muir Trust, exploring elements of wildness and why it is important that nature flourishes both for its own sake and mankind's.

3. Energy and the Natural Heritage, 10th – 11th November, Festival Theatre, Pitlochry.

   Scottish Natural Heritage annual conference taking a wide look at the impacts of energy use on the natural heritage and options for the future.

For more events click here .

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CALL FOR STORIES:

If you would like to contribute to this or any of TEF’s publications, please contact Lorna by phone on 01463 723012, by email to enquiries@greentourism.org.uk, or post to Tourism and Environment Forum, Thistle House, Beechwood Park North, Inverness, IV2 3ED.

All contributions welcome and any comments too!