Archived Sustainable Tourism Newsletters

Cleaning up Scotland's beaches

From Shetland to the Solway Firth, Scotland's beaches are marred by the ubiquitous problem of litter. This was one of the findings of a recent report on beach litter management.

Commissioned by the Tourism and the Environment Task Force and prepared by the Ash Consulting Group, the report concludes that "none of Scotland's coastline, including the islands, can be regarded as free of the negative visual impact of litter."

The report's authors identified the dominant source of the problem as being garbage discharged from shipping, while the main litter types were plastics, paper and wood, metal cans and glass. They also confirm that the most important impacts of litter are visual degradation and the economic losses due to an associated decrease in tourism.

The report, which includes detailed descriptions of current procedures for beach litter management throughout the country, goes on to present a total of 20 recommendations regarding future best practice in this area.

The recurring theme, however, is that any action to combat the growing problem of beach litter has to be taken at all levels - global, national, regional and local - and that it needs to be taken immediately.

Good footpath management is good business

Over 240 full-time equivalent jobs in Ross and Cromarty may well be supported by the money spent by footpath users. This is one of the main conclusions of a study funded jointly by Scottish Natural Heritage and Ross and Cromarty Enterprise, which set out to investigate the patterns of footpath use in the area and the economic impact of the footpath network.

Among its findings, the study claims there is a distinctive pattern of footpath use and type of user. Footpath users are most likely to be men aged between 25 and 54. They are regular visitors, who stay for relatively long periods of time, up to 5 or 6 days, and spend an average of £132 while resident in Ross and Cromarty.

The report concludes by suggesting that the findings present a strong rationale for public and private bodies to invest in the maintenance and enhancement of local footpaths as a means of sustaining the local service economy.

Island festival on the high seas

The ferries of Caledonian MacBrayne played host to a unique festival this summer, when a crew of musicians, storytellers and natural and cultural heritage interpreters boarded ship.

The Crossings or Cuirm Cuain Festival was designed to increase visitor understanding of the island environments while adding some entertainment to the ferry trips themselves. Prominent among the attractions were interpreters who used a range of techniques to interpret landscape, scenery and wildlife, and the relationship between people and land, past and present.

With over 160 events staged on 8 ferry routes during July and August, the festival has proved very popular and is currently being reviewed with a view to possibly expanding next year's programme and establishing it as a permanent summer feature.

The festival was co-ordinated by HI Arts and the majority of the funding came from Highlands and Islands Enterprise and the Tourism and Environment Initiative. Additional funding was provided by Fionan, Feis Barra, Argyll and Islands Enterprise and Western Isles Enterprise with CalMac providing ferry fares and subsistence for the performers and interpreters.

(For more information contact Arts Development Officer: HI Arts on 01463 234171.)

Energy efficiency attacks acid rain

Research published earlier this summer by the World Wide Fund for Nature has highlighted how increasingly noxious acid rain is steadily poisoning the Scottish environment.

The report has identified over 20 sites which it claims are at risk including Loch Lomond, Rannoch Moor and the Cairngorms.

Scottish researchers have also identified the threat presented to rivers by 'acid flushes' when polluted snow melts. Such toxic floods are killing salmon and trout - the foundation of an industry worth over £50 million a year to Scottish tourism.

The author of the WWF report claims Scottish power stations no longer simply export their problems to Europe. A combination of high fossil fuel use, sensitive soils and unique weather patterns are putting Scotland very much at risk from itself.

To combat the problem internationally, the WWF is promoting a variety of projects to conserve energy and to increase energy efficiency. By simply using less energy, the WWF insists it is possible to reduce harmful emissions by up 90%. In Scotland such action could, in the long term, help to save many of the most sensitive environmental sites presently under threat.

Dolphins in need of some space

Give them space - this was the message of an innovative scheme launched this summer which aims to encourage good practice by commercial dolphin watching boats in the Moray Firth.

The 'Dolphin Space Programme' encourages people to respect the dolphins' need for space and urges those who want to observe dolphins, whales or porpoises in the Moray Firth to either watch from the shore, or to take boat trips with 'accredited' operators who have agreed to observe a code of conduct.

The voluntary programme was developed by the Scottish Wildlife Trust and Scottish Natural Heritage, in partnership with the European Union LIFE programme, and represents a novel approach to sustainable wildlife tourism.

The recent growth of wildlife cruises in the area reflects a global trend of increased interest in wildlife tourism. In the Moray Firth, cruises can provide communities with an important source of revenue. However, without appropriate management, it is claimed that too many boat trips can cause disturbance to the animals which form the basis of the business.

Significantly, the organisers of the 'Dolphin Space Programme' have seen how, both in the UK and other parts of the world, dolphins have reacted against continued disturbance by boats.

Signs of progress in St Andrews

The acknowledged birthplace of golf, home to Scotland's oldest university, a historic crucible of Scottish Protestantism, and fringed by spectacular beaches - without a doubt St Andrews has plenty to support its status as one of Scotland's leading tourist destinations.

Unfortunately, in recent years its fame has almost brought the town to a summer standstill. Streets have quickly been jammed with visitor traffic and little was being done to get these visitors out and about to discover all the town has to offer.

This set the scene for the development of a Tourism Management Plan (TMP) for the resort. Launched in April 1993, the TMP set out to enhance the visitor experience of St Andrews while also protecting the built and natural environment and improving the quality of life of local residents.

One result has been a programme of signs and leaflets designed to welcome and guide visitors around the town. Information boards now not only help visitors to develop an appreciation of the town but also direct them to less crowded areas in the vicinity of the town's castle and cathedral ruins.

By actively improving the visitor experience, the partners of the St Andrews TMP hope that people will be encouraged to stay longer and spend more.

Royal Mile has designs on European Prize

Edinburgh's Royal Mile Project has been short-listed as one of only five British nominations for the 1995 European Prize for Tourism and the Environment.

A partnership involving Lothian Regional Council, Edinburgh District Council and Lothian and Edinburgh Enterprise Limited with support from the Edinburgh Old Town Renewal Trust, the Royal Mile Project began back in 1990.

Now, after years of development work, the £4.2 million first phase is nearly complete. Designed to create a safe, welcoming area for pedestrians while discouraging non-essential traffic, Phase 1 has involved the width of the road being reduced and pavements widened at strategic points. The overall result of the improvements, which are being completed using traditional materials, is to provide a worthy setting for the Royal Mile's historic buildings and more space for everyone to enjoy them.

The partners are now hoping for international recognition with success in the European Commission's European Prize. The prize aims to reward tourist destinations which best endeavour to develop sustainable tourism while preserving the environment.

Commenting on the project's prospects, Fiona Creamer, Project Manager with Lothian and Edinburgh Enterprise Limited said : "We are delighted to have got this far. It is great to receive such recognition for what is essentially a road improvement scheme, albeit one which manages to both improve the tourism product and enhance the environment of the Royal Mile."

Working closely with the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust, Sea Life Surveys has been running specialist wildlife trips in the waters around Mull for over 15 years. The recognition they received last year following a successful nomination in the Thistle Awards was subsequently echoed in a highly commended placing in the British Airways 'Tourism for Tomorrow' awards.