Scottish thistle green awards shortlist unveiled

EAE’s green electric van outside Edinburgh Castle

From leaflet marketing to tour operating to self catering the best of sustainable Scottish tourism line up for prizes

A leaflet marketing specialist, self-catering cottages on the Isle of Mull and a tour company are three very diverse tourism businesses that have all been shortlisted as finalists in the Sustainable Tourism category of this year’s prestigious Scottish Thistle Awards.

The Scottish Thistle Awards are the highest accolades in the Scottish tourism industry. Organised by national tourism organisation VisitScotland, they are designed to recognise excellence in the industry.

This year’s shortlisted businesses – EAE Ltd, Treshnish and Haunn Cottages on the northwest coast of Mull, and Rabbie’s Trail Burners – beat off stiff competition from a number of sustainable tourism businesses throughout the country, impressing the judges with their commitment to and passion for Scotland’s environment and its communities.

Leaflet marketing specialist EAE Ltd operates across Scotland providing tailored services for over 800 clients through 5,000 leaflet displays. The company has already reduced its carbon footprint by 60% and aims to be carbon neutral by 2015 through initiatives such as installing a wind turbine that supplies 50% of the headquarters electricity needs and powers an electric leaflet delivery van. Pricing strategies reward eco-friendly clients and minimise waste, while a free recycling service makes productive use of returning delivery vans.

A wind turbine also features at the Treshnish and Haunn Cottages, eight eco-friendly self-catering cottages on the Isle of Mull. Other sustainable initiatives include solar panels, a biomass district heating scheme, farming for biodiversity, promotion of sustainable transport and extensive community engagement and support. The sustainable approach is also good for business, with 40% of guests coming back, heating bills halved and turnover increasing.

A double winner in last year’s Operator Programme of the Year and Extra Mile categories, Rabbie’s Trail Burners has this year been shortlisted in the Sustainable Tourism category for its innovative business model and commitment to continual improvement to sustainable issues. Nearly three quarters of its customers indicate that green credentials influence their booking choice, and in the past two years a focus on fuel efficiency and passenger loading has saved almost £45,000 in fuel bills and reduced passenger carbon footprint by nearly a quarter. Since 2005 electricity use has decreased by 40 per cent and waste production by 30 percent.

Mike Cantlay, Chairman of VisitScotland, who won a Scottish Thistle Award at the inaugural ceremony in 1992, said: “Sustainability is at the heart of ensuring the future success and growth of tourism in Scotland, and the outstanding quality of this year’s entries shows that the future of Scottish tourism is in very capable hands.”

Tourism Minister Jim Mather said: “The many people who make up our Tourism sector and who host visitors from home and abroad continue to deliver a huge and vital contribution to Scotland’s economy.

"So I am delighted to acknowledge their critically important work, which is strongly supporting economic recovery – achieving 2.7 per cent growth in visitor numbers last year against a global drop of 4 per cent."

"The Scottish Thistle Awards play an important part in achieving these results – setting high standards for excellence, innovation and quality and providing the perfect platform to showcase the array of excellent products and services Scottish tourism has to offer."

Claudia Rowse, Rural Development Manager, Scottish Natural Heritage, sponsors of the Sustainability category said: "Scotland’s stunning biodiversity is an important platform on which to build the health and well-being of the nation and also helps underpin important industries such as tourism which have a large contribution to make to the economy of Scotland.

“The quality of this year’s entries has been high, with the finalists demonstrating especially well that social and environmental sustainability sit naturally at the heart of a successful business."
It is not just the sustainable credentials of tourism businesses that are being recognised.

Scotland’s very first land yachting company, Blown Away, has been taking the country’s beaches by storm, as thrill seekers of all ages race their three-wheel crafts across the sand dunes.
Now identical twins Guy and Jamie McKenzie, who established their Fife-based company at the age of just 21, have seen their hard work pay off after being nominated in the Young Tourism Entrepreneur category.

But the 23-year-olds from Perth face stiff competition, with Hannah Norman, 29, owner of Fife seafood restaurant Room With a View, and 30-year-old Helen MacKechnie of the Oban Chocolate Company also vying for the honour.

In East Lothian, meanwhile, there will be a fight for aerial supremacy as two of the region’s top tourist attractions, the National Museum of Flight and the Scottish Seabird Centre, go head to head in the Marketing Initiative category.
 
A total of 45 tourism related businesses and events spanning the length and breadth of Scotland have been shortlisted in 12 different categories including Innovation, Extra Mile, Events and Festivals and Sustainable Tourism. This year there are four new categories, the Retail Tourism Award, Heritage Experience Award and the Scottish Daily Mail Readers’ Choice Award – Perfect Day Out and Kids Choice Award.

The winners of this year’s Scottish Thistle Awards will be announced at a glittering ceremony at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre on Friday, 29 October.
 

Valere Tjolle

Get free sustainable tourism reports from Vision on Sustainable Tourism HERE

Valere Tjolle is editor of the Sustainable Tourism Report Suitewww.travelmole.com/stories/1143624.php