http://www.beehive.govt.nz/ViewDocument.aspx?DocumentID=29678
Hon Damien O'Connor 8/06/2007 New tourism sustainability website Tourism Minister Damien O'Connor today launched a new website promoting sustainable practices for tourism businesses. The Tourism Ministry website is a resource that will allow all businesses to access valuable information from the joint Tourism Ministry-Ministry for Environment Sustainable Tourism Charter project, including practical assistance on business sustainability, Mr O'Connor said. The website follows on from the recently released draft New Zealand Tourism Strategy 2015, which identifies that the protection and enhancement of our environment has to be a key focus for the New Zealand tourism sector in the next decade. "This is a great new initiative which will provide information and practical tips on how businesses can cut energy emissions and make smarter use of New Zealand's natural resources. All of us have a role to play in making New Zealand a world leader in sustainability and backing up the promise of 100% Pure." The website is the latest in a series of resources involving the Tourism Ministry, including a compact disk produced with TIA called Tourism in Action, which provides excellent advice and support for another integral column of New Zealand's sustainability message the development of successful businesses, Mr O'Connor said. The sustainability website was created in response to feedback from businesses that they would appreciate such information in one place, tailored to tourism businesses. The website: - Collates information and links from a wide range of sources into one website, to save businesses time. - Contains tips on how to become more sustainable, including both simple actions such as switching off computers at the end of each day, and more advanced actions such as utilising sustainable building technologies. - Communicates why businesses should take action to become sustainable, and what the government is doing. - Promotes sustainability and environmental performance, as a vital consideration for the tourism sector to be consistent with the 100% Pure New Zealand brand promise. - Shares the knowledge learnt from the Charter project with other regions and businesses. Six Regional Tourism Organisations support businesses participating in the sustainable tourism charter: Destination Northland, Tourism Bay of Plenty, Destination Rotorua, Latitude Nelson, Lake Wanaka Tourism, and Venture Southland Tourism/Destination Fiordland. Plans are underway to extend the scheme to other areas. The website http://www.tourism.govt.nz/sustainability/ can be accessed via a link on the Ministry of Tourism's website http://www.tourism.govt.nz
