What is Sustainable Tourism?
What is sustainable tourism?
Tourism inherently attracts people to certain locations because they have something special or unique to offer. This is often a boost to the local economy in a tourist location, but how these sites and visitors are cared for can mean a big difference between sustainable tourism and the potential degradation of the special qualities of a place.
Most tourists in this part of the world are headed to the Lake District National Park and have never heard of Morecambe Bay. To me the Lakes offers some spectacular scenery and impressive mountains but isn’t a patch on the nature, wildlife and variety of habitats found on the fringes of the bay. I want to put Morecambe Bay on the map and raise the profile of its natural wonders.
Tourism can be a real opportunity for growth in the local economy, providing good quality jobs, opportunities for enterprise and funds for conservation. This is a strong foundation of my vision for NaturesGems. I’d like to be a catalyst for sustainable nature tourism around Morecambe Bay. Working closely with other local businesses, including the new Eden North, I want to build a range of nature experiences and associated local jobs to showcase this amazing place we call home.
Whilst I’m working on bringing other local businesses on board with my vision, I can start by making NaturesGems as sustainable and environmentally friendly a business as possible.
· Lunch provided on NaturesGems tours is provided by Kendal business Baba Ganoush who use eco-friendly packaging and local ingredients for their tasty vegetarian lunches. There’s also a juicy treat at the end of each tour provided by Witherslack Orchards who use traditional methods of management in their orchards in the Winster Valley.
· The sites we visit on NaturesGems tours are all managed specifically for nature by a range of conservation charities, this is a key part of the story of this biodiversity hotspot. Without the rangers, volunteers and farmers who manage these sites they would not support the spectacular habitats and wildlife that live here. That’s why 5% of all fees from NaturesGems tours go directly back to these sites to help support this hugely valuable work. We also work closely with the rangers and farmers to give you the most up to date information on the work they are doing.
· Farming is a key component of this landscape and due to the nature of the land management there is some fantastic native breed, slow reared, tasty meat produce available in local cafes, farm shops and restaurants.
· The comfort of clients on our tours is a priority and even here we have been working closely with other local businesses – Shed1 Gin in Ulverston provide hand gel for use when we’re out and about, and Dirtbags in Kendal supplied us with some recycled wetsuit kneel mats for those moments when you need to get on your knees to inspect an orchid, or simply for sitting on at lunch time.
· Ever conscious of our carbon footprint NaturesGems tours are all walking tours with minimal use of vehicles, even on our full days when we use multiple sites. We don’t yet have transport to collect clients from the local train stations or accommodation but the long term plan is to have a hybrid/electric minibus to enable this and minimise vehicle use around the nature reserves.
Behind the scenes I also try to source all equipment and materials for NaturesGems through local and eco-friendly companies. We may only be small but the choices we make as a number of small individuals can have bigger knock-on impacts and cumulatively make a difference to the care of our natural world.
Sustainable tourism for me starts with sustainable businesses with a collective vision to make a change for the better. It feels like there is a growing momentum around the bay. One step at a time…..
Check out the Ways Around the Bay website for sustainable travel options when exploring the Morecambe Bay area.
Read our full Green Policy
