Visit Isle of Wight has re-launched its Isle of Wight Green Tourism Award, formally known as Green Star Award, to showcase the very best of the best green businesses on the Island.
The IOW Green Tourism Award aims to celebrate Island businesses that are making every effort to reduce their carbon footprint, promote sustainable travel and champion green initiatives, boosting green, sustainable, and responsible tourism for the Isle of Wight.
The Isle of Wight was recognised with UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Status in 2019.
Amy Summers, Sustainable Travel, Trade and Exhibitions Manager for Visit Isle of Wight, said:
“More and more visitors to the Island are becoming aware of their carbon footprint. They want to take part in sustainable activities, or stay or visit eco, green or environmentally friendly businesses.
“This award highlights those businesses that are going above and beyond to cater for visitor needs and that have more sustainable operations.
“Award winners receive a range of benefits, such as a dedicated listing on the sustainable travel webpages on the Visit Isle of Wight website, a certificate and logo, as well as additional advertising opportunities on social media and other digital channels.”
The award is based around three themes, people, place, and our planet. These themes are to promote sustainable and responsible tourism on the Isle of Wight. Award winners will receive a bronze, silver or gold award, depending on the criteria that they meet.
Gold Award winners will also be given an allocated amount of discount codes allowing groups of up to 5 people to travel on the bus all day for £1, in recognition of sustainable travel across the Island.
Richard Tyldsley, General Manager for Southern Vectis, said:
“This project is a great way to encourage visitors to use the bus while they visit the Island. Once on board we are confident they will be pleasantly surprised by how convenient and easy bus travel can be and hope they continue to use the bus on holiday and back at home.”
The award is open to any business that is a BID Levy payer or voluntary contributor. If your business is not one of these, a voluntary contribution is required which starts from £150 plus VAT per year.
For more information about the IOW Green Award, visit https://visitwightpro.com/IOW-Green-Tourism-Award.
You want tourists, stop building homes on GREENLAND>.. and build a tunnel to mainland… ! If we had a tunnel this Island would become RICH…… Hotels would be full, all year round… more companies would start up, more NHS workers, Doctors, and DENTISTS… !! More new high street shops.. Better and quicker emergency services, including Police…
It seems you believe the Island is the only part of the country with problems, I think you need to get out of your bubble, the Island has problems economically so does the country in general. Where exactly do you think the money comes from to build a tunnel, your pocket perhaps! Your ideology is remarkedly blinkered.
Island itself doesn’t have the budget scale to even think about the tunnel. It’s the work for the government. But government can’t even do HS2 on the ground, let alone a tunnel under Solent. I wouldn’t hold my breath until UK government builds more solid competency in architecture and urban design.
Instead, as a small island, we could have more buses, trains and cycle routes to safely travel around away from dangers of car traffic. That way tourists wouldn’t have to even take their cars in the first place and even more greenfield nature could be saved.
Woke leftist! My car doesn’t change the atmosphere! The earth always gets hotter, it’s called seasons.
Huh? What?
I didn’t say anything about the atmosphere.
Only how more expensive car transport over sea is due to… you know… car’s weight, and how much more greenfield needs to be poured over with concrete due to… you know… size of cars.
Don’t know what planet your on but building a tunnel is not needed the island would be in gridlock it’s already too busy if you’re not happy here then go to the mainland
I fail to see what a “green award” has to do with tourism, which brings to many people onto the island, increases pollution with more cars, destruction of the countryside with more and more litter thrown about. No one will use a bus if they come here with a car.
A bit crazy since they are hell bent on covering the island with poor quality rabbit hutches on desperately needed productive farmland.
They could gut all of the empty shops and rewild them, so they are at least a little more attractive to tourists because at the moment, island town centres are an eyesore!
Oh yes come to the sunny iow ….
See the concrete jungle jigsaw getting nearer and nearer to completion…..
Carbon neutral footprint ????
Flora and fauna is what creates less carbon….
Whatever anyone says about affordable housing, it is a screen for fat profits !!!!!!