Government promotes sustainable tourism

Tourists are being encouraged to consider their carbon emissions when planning a trip abroad, following an announcement from the government's department for the environment food and rural affairs.

In line with the government's own new voluntary scheme to offset carbon emissions arising from official flights, the environment minister Elliot Morley has appealed to tourists to reduce their effect on the environment by donating money to the Travel Foundation when they book their holidays.

Mr Morley said: "With growing prosperity, we need and want to travel more. Our job is to enable people to travel whilst at the same time meeting our environmental obligations; individuals can play their part by offsetting their air flights, from which emissions are rising."

The Travel Foundation, a sustainable tourism charity working with the UK outbound travel industry to promote responsible travel, is setting up programmes using initiatives such as low energy technology hotels and use of low carbon tourist vehicles in destinations around the world to reduce the carbon foot print of British tourists.

The government is also investing in energy efficiency projects to help reduce carbon emissions in developing countries and a new Civil Service Travel Group will help generate ideas to develop and put into practice sustainable travel policies for government as a whole.

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