CRIEFF Hydro, Gleneagles Hotel and Duchally Hotel and Country Estate are representing Strathearn in a Perthshire-wide initiative championing green tourism.
Along with Perth and Kinross Council, a number of top resort hotels have collaborated on a new film that will showcase the area’s environmental tourism credentials to audiences throughout the UK and beyond.
The film, entitled A Shared Vision, highlights the work being done to ensure that businesses involved in Perthshire’s Green Resorts group are as sustainable and environmentally friendly as possible.
This informal initiative is made up of big names including Gleneagles Hotel, Crieff Hydro, Duchally Hotel and Country Estate, Hilton Dunkeld House Hotel, Atholl Palace Hotel and the Green Tourism Business Scheme. The group is co-ordinated by PKC.
The 15-minute film, shot by director Rob Bryce of Blue Stone Films, illustrates some of the many projects and schemes implemented by the group members as they work towards increased sustainability and environmental best practice.
These include growing their own vegetables on site instead of importing them from abroad, replacing lighting systems to cut down on electricity consumption, recycling wood from nearby estates to use in energy production, using water from natural springs and sourcing produce from local farmers.
The film has been paid for by the council’s Developing Rural Tourism project, through the European Regional Development Fund. Additional funding has also come from the Green Tourism Business Scheme (GTBS). All of the businesses featured hold either gold or silver awards from the GTBS - the UK’s sustainable tourism certification scheme.
The film will be used to heighten environmental awareness with other local tourism enterprises, for staff training at the resorts, and as a promotional tool for visitors.
The council’s enterprise and infrastructure convener, Councillor John Kellas, explained: “Research shows that an increasing number of leisure and conference visitors actively seek out businesses that offer an environmental and ethical approach.
“All of the resorts featured in the short film are committed to providing a luxury experience to visitors in a sustainable way. The businesses realise the importance of sustainability, not only to attract visitors, but to ensure that their overheads can be kept as low as possible.
“The environmental approach is a win-win situation for everyone. The local environment benefits, visitors are happy to visit a clean, green place, and the resort businesses keep their costs down.”
Andrea Nicholas, managing director of the Green Tourism Business Scheme, said: “I’ve been involved with green tourism initiatives for many years and this is the first time I’ve seen a group of potentially competing hotels working so well together. The film is a unique and outstanding example of their collaborative approach and we will be promoting it throughout the UK and overseas.”
