In March 2021, Tasmanian Premier, The Hon. Peter Gutwein set a target that Tasmania’s Tourism Industry will become a Carbon Neutral Destination by 2025. You can find the media release here.
Sustainable Tourism is defined by the UN Environment Program and UN World Tourism Organization as “tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities.”
The aim of sustainable tourism is to increase the benefits and to reduce the negative impacts caused by tourism for destinations. This can be achieved by: Protecting natural environments, wildlife and natural resources when developing and managing tourism activities.
There are clear benefits to greening your tourism business – reducing energy, water and waste can increase profitability by reducing costs, but you can also gain a marketing advantage. Visitors are becoming increasingly more conscious of environmental issues, with a recent worldwide study found that 87% take environmentally-friendly, sustainable tourism into consideration when making travel plans.
Adopting environmentally sustainable practices can help you stand out from the competition and be recognised through Tourism Awards and Certification programs such as:
Ecotourism Australia & Eco Certification
Ecotourism Australia (EA) is a not for profit organisation that is focused on inspiring environmentally sustainable and culturally responsible tourism. Their core function is the design and delivery of certification programs and they also publish a Green Travel Guide.
EA represents the interests of ecotourism operators (accommodation, attractions and tours) through membership on advisory boards, reference groups and other industry bodies and represents over 1500 eco-tourism products.
EarthCheck
Internationally recognised environmental benchmarking and sustainability program designed to address the challenges of climate change and improve the environmental performance of the travel and tourism sector. Using a science-based approach, EarthCheck is used by the world’s leading companies to address risk, deliver bottom line efficiencies, maximise guest experience and minimise environmental footprints.
Further information and useful resources on Green Tourism and sustainability are provided by Tourism Tasmania and Tourism Australia, the Environmental Protection Authority of Tasmania, and Sustainable Tourism Online.
