FINANCE Secretary Kate Forbes MSP has attended the launch of a new climate change action plan for Inverness.
Inverness’s tourist organisation Visit Inverness Loch Ness (VILN) has set out how it intends to honour the Glasgow Declaration – an agreement signed at COP26 which aims to accelerate climate action within the tourism sector.
The launch took place on Dores Beach on the shores of Loch Ness with the action plan detailing how to make Inverness’s tourism sector more climate-friendly.
Speaking at the event Kate Forbes MSP said: “Tourism businesses recognise the importance of sustainable economic growth and also transitioning to net zero.
“Working collaboratively with stakeholders, Visit Inverness Loch Ness wants to ensure that it represents the interests of the local community, its visitors, and most importantly, the local environment – because that’s partly what draws in the visitors in the first place.
“The plan outlines clearly its climate targets and how it will achieve them.”
The action plan was created with the help of VisitScotland and the Travel Foundation and sets out how the organisation will play its part to cut carbon emissions and help Scotland meet Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) advice stating the need to cut global carbon emissions to 55% below 2017 levels by 2050.
Speaking at the launch of the plan, Bryony Beck, destination development manager at VILN, said: “We are fortunate enough to promote one of the best known and stunning natural landscapes in the world as a tourism destination.
“We have a responsibility to do this responsibly and sustainably and we are delighted to set out exactly how we will achieve that with our Climate Action Plan for 2022/23.
“Through working collaboratively with stakeholders across our destination, VILN will ensure what it does going forward is in the best interests of our people, our visitors, and most importantly our environment.”
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