Visit Scotland has signed up to ‘Tourism Declares A Climate Emergency‘ – a global group of tourism organisations who commit to developing their own climate action plans with actions to achieve no more than 1.5 degrees of warming by 2030, sharing progress publicly, encouraging suppliers and partners to sign up and advocating for change.
Visit Scotland will
1. Reduce carbon emissions as an organisation and encourage Scotland Tourism industry to do the same by
- promoting environmentally friendly transport to and within Scotland,
- collaborating with partners to encourage responsible, low carbon growth,
- aligning activities to the Scottish Governments targets of 75% emissions reductions by 2030, and Net-Zero emissions by 2045,
- becoming a climate conscious organisation, recognising where improvements are needed.
2. Work collaboratively with the tourism and events industry to educate and share best practice around reducing carbon emissions, including by
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Supporting the management of success of tourism in hotspots across Scotland, ensuring that the visitor has a positive experience that also benefits local communities.
3. Play a leading role in making Scotland a globally recognised responsible destination, including by
- encouraging visitors to stay longer and “travel slow” all year round,
- supporting the activities of organisations protecting Scotland’s natural and cultural heritage
4. Engage communities to make sure they are at the heart of responsible tourism, by
- working with destination management and marketing organisations, Local Authorities and Government to engage with communities and include their views in tourism-related developments
- supporting projects which help tackle areas of high tourist concentration particularly in rural areas through the Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund
- listening to communities to make sure they can experience the benefits of tourism
Read the press statement and full plan and more about Visit Scotland’s promotion of green tourism.