Thank you for letting us know about your commitment to being sustainable. Many tourism businesses are taking a similar approach but its a common problem knowing how best to communicate this to your customers. Of course, no-one wants to preach so it's all about finding positive ways of communicating what you are doing (and even persuading people to join in with your efforts).
There are a number of ways you can do this. Grading schemes and annual awards are great because they provide an assurance to the customer that your credentials have been rated by someone independent. With increasing scepticism among consumers this is really important.
Generally with grading schemes you renew on an annual basis and are inspected repeatedly.
The Green Tourism Business Scheme (GTBS) is an example of a grading scheme and has around 2000 members across the UK (including around 150 in Cornwall). Businesses are finding visitors increasingly responsive, whilst national and local surveys show visitors perceive green certified businesses to be of a higher quality. Graded Businesses are also listed on the GTBS website where potential customers can search specifically for green businesses.
If you are an activity provider you may need to check with the scheme operators that the criteria are suitable for your type of business. (call 01738 632162).
Awards are a fantastic way to prove your commitment to sustainability. As a Cornish business you can enter The Visit Cornwall Tourism Awards that include a Sustainable Tourism Award(applications open in May - click here to apply) with the opportunity to then go onto the regional and national level awards.
South West businesses not based in Cornwall can directly enter the regional South West Tourism Excellence Awards, for more details click here.
You can use your own general communications, such as your website, to get your message to potential customers. Remember that only a small proportion of visitors will be actively looking for this information but most will respond positively if they come across it. It's therefore best to rely on putting all the information into one 'green' section but instead 'weave' it throughout all the relevant sections.
Take a look at a special section of our website containing a range of resources on ‘green communications.'
You may also value the range of information on sustainability that is shared through the CoaST network based in Cornwall.
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