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[this blog first appeared on greentraveller]

The National Forest has launched a new visitors’ website with a focus on ‘going green’.

The site emphasises eco-friendly attractions and places to stay within the forest, and encourages visitors to use public transport and explore by bike or on foot rather than driving.

The National Forest covers an area of 200 square miles in Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Staffordshire, and 7.7 million trees have already been… Continue reading

I was out in the Caribbean last week at CHTA Marketplace, an annual trade expo for Caribbean tourism, and attended a press conference by Green Globe – one of a burgeoning number of eco-certifying bodies for the tourism sector.

CEO Guido Bauer revealed the difference that a Green Globe certificate can make to a hotel’s bottom line: having the certificate lets hotels increase their room rates by 3-7%, reduces their operating costs by 3-11%, and adds 1-3% to the property’s value.

It’s great that they have… Continue reading

I was interested to find out more about the Rainforest Alliance at WTM last week. I first heard about the organisation when I was out in Central America last month – it’s a not-for-profit organisation with three distinct arms, advising and campaigning on sustainable agriculture, forestry and tourism in rainforested areas around the world.

Its work in tourism ranges from training hotel staff on green technology, to helping them attain certificates of sustainability, to educating tourists on how they… Continue reading

I had a fascinating meeting at WTM yesterday with NatureAir, the world’s first (and only) carbon neutral airline.

It’s going through an exciting period right now. It’s hoping to sign codeshare agreements with international players like Continental Airlines, Copa, Mexicana and Iberia in the near future.

This means passengers won’t have to check their luggage back in at Costa Rica’s San Jose airport before they fly onto their final destination with… Continue reading | 1 Comment

I’m now back in the Big Smoke after a recent trip to Honduras. It was a brilliant trip, but also quite a sad one. The country has been in the midst of a political crisis since June, and tourism to the country has been decimated as people are afraid to visit.

The UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office is advising against all but essential travel to the country, but from what I saw and… Continue reading

The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) has announced the winners of its Tourism for Tomorrow Awards. There are four different categories and the winners were a refreshing surprise…

The ‘Conservation Award’ went to an airline – not an entity you’d usually associate with environmental excellence! But NatureAir is not your usual airline. The Costa Rica-based airline offsets all of its greenhouse gas emissions by preserving and restoring tropical rainforests, and uses biofuel for its company road vehicles. It… Continue reading