Speakers lined up for big green tourism meeting

Sustainable tourism businesses to gather in Manchester next Monday

One of the largest gathering of green businesses in the UK is to take place in Manchester on November 10.

Almost 200 delegates from large and small, multi-national and local businesses and organisations will be at The Palace Hotel for the annual Green Tourism Conference.

Senior executives from international hotel chains and major visitor attractions will rub shoulders with B&B owners and green suppliers to learn about the latest good practice in developing a more sustainable tourism industry.

Flight-free adventures, biodiversity, climate change are amongst the diverse subjects to be discussed.

Key speakers include Satish Kumar, a guiding spirit behind a number of internationally-respected ecological and educational ventures including Schumacher College, Peter Cranswick, of the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, author, marketing expert and traveler Ed Gillespie and climate change specialist Dr. Alice Bows-Larkin

There will also be a series of workshops and the presentation of this year’s Goldstar Awards which recognise the achievements of Britain’s most sustainable and environmentally responsible tourism businesses.

"Our conference in November 10th in Manchester will be a seminal moment in sustainable tourism," said Jon Proctor, Technical Directorof Green Tourism."Not only do we celebrate the best in the industry but we also see the latest research on biodiversity loss and climate change and highlight the growing number of solutions to living more sustainably."

"It is a major challenge that we face and  the Tourism Industry needsto change and ensure that those tourism properties which make the biggest savings or achieve the lowest emissions are rewarded by the consumer and the industry."

In addition to presentations from renowned industry leaders and workshops there will also be discussions on some of the innovative and practical measures now being undertaken by businesses to improve sustainability.

Green Tourism has been at the forefront of highlighting the importance of protecting environments, respecting local cultures, supporting communities, conserving natural resources and minimising pollution around the world for more than 17 years.

It is now the largest, and most rigorous, agency of its kind in the world and is the only certification programme independently validated by the International Centre for Responsible Tourism (ICRT) on behalf of VisitEngland, VisitWales and the Northern Ireland Tourist Board, and endorsed by VisitScotland and Failte Ireland.

Anyone wishing to attend the conference can register at http://www.green-tourism.com/go-green/events/gtc2014/

Valere Tjolle

Get the latest info: Top 100 Successful Sustainable Destinations to be unveiled HERE