Distinctive environments, cultures and traditions can all help ensure visitors return and make recommendations to friends and relatives. Many visitors actively seek out destinations and places to visit that promote their green credentials to show they impact positively on the environment. It’s a win win situation for everyone. Visitors appreciate special and authentic experiences and businesses and destinations gain a reputation for being sensitive to green tourism initiatives.
When Hannah Tilley, the Tourism Officer for Visit Faversham, started to look around for a ‘green tourism’ course to fulfil her ambitions to help local businesses and the Town Council save money she came across Green Edge, a one day programme delivered by Welcome to Excellence Ltd. ‘I wanted to be more informed through increasing my own awareness and understanding of the issues’ said Hannah. ‘I am particularly keen that Visit Faversham work together with others to protect our natural assets so that visitors linger longer and enjoy what is around them.’
Graham Hukins, Visitor Centre Manager at Shepherd Neame Limited, based in Faversham since 1698, and Britain’s oldest brewer, was keen to participate in the training. The company has already achieved a Gold standard in the Green Tourism Business Scheme and pride themselves on using the finest traditional ingredients including water from an artesian well deep below the Brewery. They understand that their brewery and pubs are at the heart of their communities and vital to the sustainability of the destination in the longer term.
Sustainable benefits
The training will help Faversham Town Council prepare their application for a Green Tourism Award and Hannah is also planning to dovetail her newly acquired knowledge into the working environment. She believes attending the course has been an investment that will ultimately help the Town Council and other businesses cut energy consumption, reduce waste and ultimately save money on bills.
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