Archived Sustainable Tourism E-news

TEF E-News - Issue 3 - October 2004

Welcome to the 3rd 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.

STEP FORWARD WITH POSITIVE IMPACT

Look out for the Tourism & Environment Forum's newsletter 'Positive Impact' arriving on your doorstep at the start of November. This latest edition contains inspiring accounts of wildlife and nature based tourism in Scotland. The year 2004 has proved full of exciting events focusing on the natural environment. We hope that this edition reveals some of the very positive steps being made towards ensuring the sustainability of Scotland’s wildlife tourism product and how you can get involved.

If you’re not already on our mailing list and would like to receive a copy of ‘Positive Impact’ please send your postal address to enquiries@greentourism.org.uk. Alternatively, click here to contact us and ask to be added onto the mailing list.

THREE NOMINATED FOR TOURISM OSCARS

The Tourism & Environment Forum chaired the judging panel for the Tourism and Environment category in this year's Thistle Awards. The awards, effectively Scotland's tourism Oscars, are open to all types of businesses and are widely recognised as the industry's ultimate accolade. This year the award, sponsored by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), recognises companies and projects that have provided relevant training and staff development work to increase staff awareness and understanding of Scotland's natural heritage.

The three finalists are The Tweed Osprey project, led by Forestry Commission Scotland in association with Kailzie Gardens, near Peebles; Cream o' Galloway near Castle Douglas; and Perthshire Tourist Board. The winner of the 2004 award will be announced at the Thistle Awards ceremony on Friday 29 October at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre.

For more information:

TEF News Story

A FIRST FOR WILD SCOTLAND

Wild Scotland, the new wildlife tourism association, is hosting an open event on Wednesday 17th November at the Boat Hotel in Boat of Garten, near Aviemore. The meeting is open to all wildlife and nature-based businesses, from land safari and boat operators, wildlife guides and holiday providers to larger operators and attractions. If wildlife or nature plays a part in your business, this event is for you.

Wild Scotland was formed two years ago when wildlife operators from across Scotland joined forces to promote the country as Europe's number one wildlife destination - through the provision of responsible and quality-led experiences and excursions. The Wild Scotland event will include presentations and discussions on 3 very topical issues: the Scottish Outdoor Access Code, the Marine Wildlife Watching Code and Wildlife Crime.

For more information:

SEALS: OUR HISTORY

Who would have thought that fluffy white seal pups on the East Coast’s Isle of May hold a clue to the evolution of the British Isles? Well, the BBC’s new flagship TV series tells us exactly that. Hosted by Alan Titchmarsh, the first programme of ‘British Isles: A Natural History’ was screened on Wednesday 29th September. It focused in part on the largest colony of grey seals on the East Coast of Britain, found at the Isle of May in the Firth of Forth only half an hour from the crowded streets of Scotland’s capital city. Filming for this segment took place at the Scottish Seabird Centre in North Berwick, over a few days last year. With the perfect timing only found in nature (and the BBC), now is the right time for visitors to the centre to see the seal pups for themselves.

To accompany the series, the BBC has details of special walks at locations throughout the British Isles. The walks are devised by BBC presenters and experts and can be found on the BBC website under the title ‘Where I Live – Take a Walk Through Time’.

For more information:

OLDER AND GREENER

Bowmore Distillery on Islay, one of the oldest distilleries in Scotland (1779) has been recognised as one of the most environmentally friendly businesses in Europe after being shortlisted for the European Business Award for the Environment 2004.

The distillery was the only Scottish entrant in a selection made by an international judging panel. Among its environmental practices, the distillery heats the local swimming pool by recycling waste heat from its distilling process. Bowmore is proud to be a part of the island community and contributes positively to island life. It employs good environmental practices, which enhance island life, ensure community support, allow employees to feel pride in the distillery’s environmental performance and protect the long-term future of the distillery. The distillery has previously won the Vision in Business for the Environment of Scotland (VIBES) in 2002 and the UK-wide National Green Apple Environment Awards 2003.

For more information:

WHALE FESTIVAL COASTS TO SUCCESS

September saw the first ever West Coast Whale Festival take place on the Isle of Mull. The weekend event, held over 18th - 19th September, proved a big hit with 150 people attending talks, taking part in the whale watching regatta and celebrating in style at the Saturday night ceilidh.

Highlighting the achievements made in cetacean conservation and research over the past 2 decades, there were two anniversaries celebrated at the festival, the 10th birthday of the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust (HWDT) and the 20th anniversary of the longest established whale-watch operator in the UK, Sea Life Surveys. The festival included presentations and talks from HWDT, the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS), Sea Life Surveys, the International Fund for Animal Welfare and the BBC, all chaired by the former editor of BBC Wildlife Magazine, Ros Kidman-Cox.

The festival was funded under the NADAIR programme, which looks after nature and sustainable development in the Argyll Islands region and is supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), Argyll and the Islands Enterprise (AIE) and Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH).

For more information:

GOOD PRACTICE IS A GOOD GUIDE

Launched in early September, the handbook "Best Value and Biodiversity in Scotland: A Handbook of Good Practice for Public Bodies" is designed to give local authorities and other public bodies practical advice on how they can boost nature conservation while delivering services within the local community.

Councillor Alison Hay, attending the launch, referred to the handbook as 'an encyclopaedia of practical knowledge' providing 'environmental guidance' for local councils. Councillor Hay said she hoped the handbook would help 'stimulate ideas and plans for the future' whilst shifting nature conservation into 'the mainstream of council action on sustainable development'. The handbook is a partnership document, supported by SEPA, Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) Scotland, CoSLA, and the Scottish Executive.

For more information:

SCOTLAND RAISES THE FLAG AND THE BAR

Scotland is the first country in the UK to launch the new Individual Blue Flag (IBF) scheme. The scheme, launched on Saturday 2nd October at the Carl Dyson Regatta near Edinburgh, aims to encourage private boat owners to contribute to a cleaner North Sea. The campaign, run by Keep Scotland Beautiful as part of the EU Interreg IIIB funded Save the North Sea project, encourages boat owners to sign an environmental code of conduct which includes pledges such as not throwing litter into the sea or releasing poisonous or toxic waste and protecting marine animals and plants.

For more information:

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

Energy and the Natural Heritage, 10th - 11th November 2004 at the Festival Theatre, Pitlochry

Management for People, 24th November 2004 at Scottish Natural Heritage’s Battleby Conference Centre, Edinburgh

Scottish Countryside Access Network (SCAN) Autumn Conference, 26th November 2004 at the Birnam Institute, Dunkeld

Scotland United 2004: Moving Forward Together, 28th - 29th November 2004 at Aviemore Highland Resort

For more upcoming events see TEF's Forthcoming Events page .

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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!