London borough given sustainable tourism award

Greenwich is the only London borough to have received Beacon status recognising its promotion of sustainable tourism.

The leafy suburb of London has been given Beacon status for the second year running by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. Other England councils that have received the award include New Forest District Council and Broads National Park Authority.

Beacon status awards are handed out by an independent panel, which was set up by the Government in 1999. Over the past four years, 186 Beacon awards have been made to 181 authorities in England.

The award recognises the efforts by Greenwich Council to maximise the benefits of tourism for local people. Tourism in the borough is worth £327million per annum according to the council and contributes towards 25% of all jobs locally.

Greenwich Council’s leader, Cllr Chris Roberts, said: “We are immensely proud to have achieved Beacon status for Tourism. Tourism has been at the heart of our regeneration agenda for over a decade. This shows our commitment in providing first class services that support the visitor economy which in turn leads to more jobs and a sustainable business community.”

If you are interested in sustainable tourism, why not attend TravelMole’s fast conference on May 11. TravelMole’s second fast conference, which will tackle the issue of sustainable tourism, is set to be a fascinating debate moderated by industry figurehead, Keith Richards. Mr Richards, ABTA’s head of consumer affairs, is a regular commentator on the issue of sustainable tourism, so is the ideal candidate for the job of moderating TravelMole’s event.

He will put our panel of industry experts under the spotlight as well as fielding questions from the audience. On the panel so far is John Gillies, AITO Council
member and Responsible Tourism Consultant; Sue Hurdle, director Travel Foundation; Tom Jenkins, executive director, European Tour Operators Association; and Justin Francis, co-founder Responsibletravel.com.

The event plans to tackle the issue of what the future is for sustainable tourism and what the small and large players in the travel industry should be doing to ensure that tourism destinations are not on the receiving end of environmental and social damage inflicted by tourism.

The first TravelMole Fast Conference, held in March was a sell-out, and was sponsored by Billan IT Solutions, responsible for the net fares database Fares Assist and Cornerstone Information Systems, which offers training on technology and consultancy. Further events are planned for later in the year.

It costs £125 (plus VAT) to attend the conference, but there is a special rate of £75 (plus VAT) for agents and operators. To book tickets and get details of further discounts and offers, call the conference hotline on 020 7691 3292 or email [email protected].

The event is on Tuesday May 11 from 4pm-6pm. It is being held at the Sheraton Park Tower in Knightsbridge, London. For more details go to www.travelmole.com/fastconferences

Report by Ginny McGrath

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