Our Sustainability Pledge
Much of the Tamar Valley area is designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and a Site of Special Scientific Interest. We are extremely fortunate to be able to enjoy a diverse landscape of such splendour and charm. As a predominantly rural area bridging east Cornwall and west Devon, following the course of the River Tamar from source to sea, the Tamar Valley has a great deal to offer the short-stay visitor. Whether for river, sea, or moorland-based activities, the Tamar Valley is perfectly located for exploring not just the immediate area, but also the wider southwest.
As the official Destination Marketing Organisation for the Tamar Valley we must carefully consider the juxtaposition of promoting an increase in visitor numbers and the impact that those people will have on the environment. That’s why Visit Tamar Valley is committed to sustainable tourism practices. We pledge to support tourism and hospitality businesses by helping them to understand the importance of making changes that reduce environmental impact. Over a defined three year period, Visit Tamar Valley will:
Raise the visibility of sustainable tourism businesses in the Tamar Valley on the Visit Tamar Valley website, making them easy for visitors to identify and engage with.
Enable businesses to showcase their green-action initiatives and processes via a dedicated section of their listing page, as well as provide space for member businesses to add their award badges.
Make it easy for visitors to identify and engage with sustainable businesses in the Tamar Valley through enhanced website filtering.
Join the Green Tourism scheme and work towards achieving Silver Award status by 2024.
Carry out consumer marketing campaigns to promote the importance of sustainable travel helping visitors to understand and reduce the impact of their stay or visit on the local area.
Help tourism businesses to find local suppliers of renewable energy, environmentally friendly products and produce, recycling, and environmentally friendly waste services.
Deliver a programme of training workshops to help businesses to embark on, or continue to develop their own green initiatives.
Provide a forum for businesses to share ideas, share best practices, network and offer peer support.
Work with key partners to promote public transport links, and activities such as cycling and walking, allowing visitors to get about whilst enhancing their experience of the area.
Develop and publish a Sustainable Tourism Charter for the Tamar Valley by the end of 2025.
By implementing these measures over the coming years, Visit Tamar Valley will be able to promote environmentally friendly practices, help tourism businesses and visitors to reduce their impact on the environment, and support sustainable tourism, which benefits both the environment and local communities.
Meanwhile, we very much value your feedback as a tourism or hospitality business in the Tamar Valley. Please take a moment to share your views on the form below to help us develop our work in the right direction. Your responses are entirely anonymous. Please use the scroll bar to the right of the form to reveal all the questions and the Submit button.
If you’d like to know more about the work that Visit Tamar Valley is doing, or you would like to be involved and contribute your experience or expertise, then please email [email protected]
With thanks to local photographer Mike Wright for the photograph.
