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Wednesday 27th September 2006

GREEN TOURISM AWARD FOR 2 LOCAL BUSINESSES

Two local tourism businesses have been rewarded for their commitment to the environment and natural resources, in the form of an internationally recognised award, the Green Tourism Business Scheme (GTBS).

Ramada Plaza Hotel in Bristol and Brook Lodge Farm Touring Caravan & Tent Park in Cowslip Green, Redhill have both received Bronze Awards in Europe's largest scheme for tourism businesses that care for their local area and wider environment.

Not only does the GTBS score high on the 'feel good' factor with visitors - a survey by the English Tourism Council has shown that over 80% would choose a green tourism award winner over an equivalent without the award - but it provides businesses with expert guidance on actions that save money.

In order to achieve their award Ramada Plaza has introduced a number of changes to its operations - all the standard size guest kettles have been replaced with travel kettles in order to reduce water and energy usage, guests now need to use their room keys to activate the light switches meaning that they can't go out and leave the lights on, the existing flushing system in the gents loos which required a continuous flow of water has been replaced with a water-saving alternative and the cypress trees at the front of the hotel which needed a lot of water have been changed for olive trees which do not need water. In addition the hotel is doing far more recycling than previously. It is an investment that has paid off not only in financial terms but also amongst the hotel staff.

'Such has been the enthusiasm for GTBS among the hotel staff, we have set up a staff forum that meets on a monthly basis to continue the process, share ideas and develop further initiatives and to ensure that everyone working at the hotel is committed to our participation in the scheme,' said John Dowling, General Manager, Ramada Plaza.

Ramada Plaza is one of the few city centre winners of GTBS across the country and, indeed, in a bid to encourage more similar participants in the scheme, the hotel's General Manager, John Dowling, has been invited to address a one day national conference Towards Sustainability in English Tourism.

Brook Lodge Touring Caravan and Tent Park, run by Janet and Douglas House and their daughter Debbie, has been committed to protecting the environment for many years. The House family have introduced many energy and environment-saving measures including the use of solar lighting in the garden, changing to an electricity supplier with a green tariff, provision of local area information to encourage guests to walk or cycle rather than use the car, provision of facilities for guests to separate and recycle their waste and the use of environmentally-friendly cleaning products. A recently-built wet weather shelter was erected using stones found on the surrounding farm land. Plans for the future include the possible introduction of a wind generator as a secondary source of lighting and energy. They also have a number of initiatives in place to protect the local flora and fauna - a wildlife corridor, bat boxes, a pond and a tree conservation area.

John Hallett, Managing Director, Destination Bristol commented, 'These awards justifiably reward the efforts and commitment of both the Ramada Plaza Hotel and Brook Lodge Farm and we hope that many other tourism businesses in the city and wider region will follow their lead. As a city, Bristol has led the way on environmental and ecological issues for a long time and we already have something of a reputation as a 'green' destination with Sustrans, The Soil Association, The Slow Food Market and the newly opened Bordeaux Quay all being based here. It is only right that the tourism industry also flies the flag for sustainability and indeed many businesses are also realising that green practice makes sound commercial sense and benefits the bottom line. With the cost of utilities soaring and the well-documented global decline of natural resources plus increased awareness of green issues among consumers, businesses that care for the customer and the environment will inevitably be at an advantage.'

The Green Tourism Business Scheme was introduced to tourism businesses in the region last year by the regional tourist board, South West Tourism, who have identified sustainable tourism as a key priority in their published tourism development action plan, Towards 2015.

Ends

Notes to Editor

For more information please contact:

Kerrie Grist
Marketing Executive
Destination Bristol
Tel: 0117 946 2205

1. Photo Captions:
GTBS1 - John Dowling, General Manager, Ramada Plaza Hotel and Vicky Weir, Marketing Manager, Destination Bristol with the GTBS plaque
GTBS2 - John Dowling demonstrates how the Ramada Plaza room key activates the light switch
GTBS3 - Vicky Weir, Marketing Manager, Destination Bristol and (from l to r) Janet, Debbie and Douglas House of Brook Lodge Touring Caravan and Tent Park with the GTBS plaque.

2. Destination Bristol, formerly the Bristol Tourism and Conference Bureau is a not for profit partnership between Bristol City Council and Business West. Destination Bristol is the destination management partnership for Bristol and South Gloucestershire and leads the marketing of the area as a travel destination. The aim of the organisation is to work with members and partners, to increase business competitiveness, support employment and economic growth, and raise the profile of the Bristol city-region as a European-class travel destination.

2. The Green Tourism Business Scheme (GTBS) is a marketing and advisory tool for tourism businesses supporting the local area and environment. It is Europe's largest and most successful 'green' accreditation scheme for the tourism sector and is operating across Scotland, the South East and parts of the North West and East of England. There are currently over 100 GTBS members in the South West.