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LONDON - Amid evidence that British tourists would rather their hotel be sustainably run than have five-stars, the UK tourist board VisitBritain is aiming to establish a green marque which will establish which have genuinely green credentials.
Only 4 per cent of holiday-makers would choose to book a five-star hotel over a four-star establishment, which is sustainably run, according to recent research from the Travel Foundation.
The clamour to know that a hotel's green claims are valid has led to VisitBritain's project, which is expected to come to fruition in the New Year.
Scotland, under the aegis of the VisitScotland body, has set the pace and is already considered at least five years ahead of England and Wales in its green tourism development, with sustainable 'green' hotels and guest houses far easier to find.
Over 700 establishments in Scotland, where VisitScotland says it aspires for carbon neutrality across all its hotels, are accredited through the Green Business Tourism Scheme (GBTS), which from its base in Scotland has become the largest and most successful environmental accreditation body of tourism-related businesses in Europe.
Although five of the nine English regions have now signed up to GBTS, only hotels in the south west have earned accreditation in any great numbers.
To gain the coveted GTBS 'leaf' branding, businesses are assessed and graded against more than 120 measures of best practice.
These cover everything from efficient lighting and heating, to nature conservation, use of produce, renewable energy and community support and involvement.
GTBS awards gold, silver and bronze rankings and each hotel is judged by independent environmental auditors.
Green hotels in Scotland include the five-star Gleneagles hotel, in Perthshire, which has installed a £40,000 woodchip-burning boiler and introduced computerised technology to control the temperature of the rooms.
The hotel's owners have also floated the suggestion of asking guests to pay a voluntary carbon levy, which could then be put towards green projects.
Edinburgh's Radisson SAS hotel has gone one step further with the appointment of one of the UK hotel industry's first full-time "green gurus." But the establishment of a green standard for all British hotels may not be easy.
Tourism professionals insist that there should be independent assessment, rather than self-assessment - a method which is believed to be under consideration by VisitBritain because it is more affordable for hotels - to ensure that the green marque will actually means something for consumers trying to choose between a myriad of eco-lodges and 'green' hotels.
The watchdog Tourism Concern says 'greenwashing', as the practice of making false green claims is known, is already rife because there is no regulation of what is 'eco-friendly'.
Harold Goodwin, head of the International Centre for Responsible Tourism at the University of Greenwich- professor of responsible tourism management at Leeds Metropolitan University has said 'ecotourism' now lacks any use as a label because "people just don't believe it anymore".
GBTS is among those who believe any ideas of allowing businesses to accredit themselves should be rejected.
Andrea Nicholas of GBTS said: "[Under self-assessment] there is a real danger that people who say they are going green will not be verified at all.
People [will] fill in the questions, nobody checks the answers and a computer ticks the boxes and they are given a badge to use in their marketing to show they are green." VisitBritain will also need to persuade businesses with existing accreditation to move to their scheme.
Travel Foundation, a UK charity committed to sustainable tourism, has highlighted the confusion caused across Europe by the sheer number of accreditation schemes, which the EU-funded flower marque has attempted to resolve.
In the UK there is also a Travelife scheme, launched in April by the Federation of Tour Operators, which awards gold, silver or bronze rating according to their environmental performance.
"It's great that businesses are looking to have accreditation but there's a real need for consistency," said the Travel Foundation's Sue Hurdle.
The clamour to make money from sustainable tourism has strengthened the need for a credible system.
The latest hotelier into the market is Barry Sternlicht, who has announced the launch of "1" Hotel and Residences - which claims to be the world's first global eco-friendly hotel brand.
The boast will be tested when the first hotel opens in Seattle late next year.
- INDEPENDENT
