This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007

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Scotland lures eco tourists

24/08/2006

Scotland is rapidly developing as the leading sustainable tourism destination in Europe, Tourism Minister Patricia Ferguson said today after attending the first meeting of the Sustainable Tourism Partnership.

The partnership, bringing together key players from the private and public and public sectors, heard that it must work hard to protect the country's environment.

The industry's drive to be greener might also attract the increasing number of environmentally aware tourists to come to Scotland, it was told.

Scotland increasingly attracts visitors who are environmentally aware, with a majority highlighting the country's scenery and natural environment as the main reasons for coming.

It also heard from the Minister that 16,000 staff employed by the Executive and its agencies are now being encouraged to do their bit for sustainability by using accommodation accredited under VisitScotland's Green Tourism Business Scheme (GTBS) when travelling on business in Scotland.

And Health Minister Andy Kerr has urged Scotland's 150,000 NHS staff to use the scheme when booking accommodation for business.

GTBS is the biggest sustainable accreditation scheme in Europe with members in the accommodation sector, visitor attractions, tour operators and conference facilities.

At the Scottish Seabird Centre in North Berwick Ms Ferguson said:

"Our tourism industry has the ambition, desire and drive to make Scotland the most sustainable visitor destination in the world.

"Sustainability is not only about the environment. It is also about making the tourism industry economically and socially sustainable.

"It's the responsibility of the Scottish government to lead on this issue, which is why I'm asking staff from the Executive and our agencies to book eco-friendly accommodation."

Tom Brock, Chief Executive of the Scottish Seabird Centre who chaired the first meeting of the Sustainable Tourism Partnership, said:

"It is up to all of us involved in the tourist industry to ensure we don't damage what visitors have come to see. We need to ensure that future generations of locals and visitors can appreciate and enjoy Scotland's outstanding environment and wildlife.

"The Scottish Seabird Centre leads the world in remote wildlife viewing. Our state-of-the-art solar powered live cameras bring people close to nature in a way that doesn't disturb our precious wildlife or Scotland's rich natural environment.

"We also use local suppliers wherever possible, we encourage people to travel here by public transport, use alternative energy sources such as solar panels and wind turbines to power the centre, minimise the amount of waste produced, and we work with environmentally-friendly suppliers."

The Sustainable Tourism Partnership is an industry-led body to promote sustainable tourism throughout Scotland. It involves private industry partners, the Scottish Executive, and organisations such as VisitScotland, the Enterprise Networks, local authorities, Scottish Natural Heritage, Historic Scotland and the National Parks.

A 2005 poll of 60,000 booking enquiries through the online travel agency responsibletravel.com ranked Scotland as the top European eco-destination and 9th in the world.