Ullswater 'Steamers' wins green award (From The Westmorland Gazette)

Ullswater 'Steamers' wins green award

9:42am Tuesday 18th November 2008

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Ullswater ‘Steamers’ has been highly commended in the ferry operator category at this year’s Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards organised by responsibletravel.com.

At a ceremony hosted at World Travel Market (WTM), Docklands, London, on Wednesday 12th November, the Awards were handed out by Justin Francis, managing director of responsibletravel.com, organisers and founders of the Awards, and Amanda Wills, managing director of Virgin Holidays, headline sponsor of the Awards.

The judges said: " A PIONEER for sustainable tourism in the Lake District, they carry 196,000 people a year. Ten years ago they introduced a visitor donation scheme with proceeds to the Tourism & Conservation Partnership for projects in the Ullswater Valley; by encouraging people to travel one way by ‘steamer, and then walk or cycle back they have helped to disperse visitors- and make them healthier. “ Marketing manager for Ullswater ‘Steamers’, Rachel Bell said “ The company has worked quietly behind the scenes for many, many years and we’re keen to involve visitors in our environmental campaigns- we offer tips for tourists and are introducing divider bins on our vessels to help them recycle. You don’t have to use up air miles flying all over the world to find dramatic scenery. Its right on our doorstep.”

Justin Francis, founder of The Responsible Tourism Awards and managing director, responsibletravel.com, organisers of the Awards said: “In this, the fifth year of the Awards, the bar has been raised for responsible tourism yet again. What inspires me is the efforts that businesses and destinations are making in order to ensure that responsible tourism lies at the heart of their strategies and plans. Without a doubt, this is the only way to plan for the future - responsible travel is not a passing fad or a niche travel trend for marketing purposes. It is an entire, holistic approach to tourism operations."

Amanda Wills, managing director, Virgin Holidays, headline sponsor of the Awards said: “As headline sponsor for a second year, I have been both moved and inspired by the winners this year. Certainly there is much to learn from them, and it was a privilege to recognise and celebrate their efforts in this arena. It’s in the doing not the saying that we as an industry will make a difference, the winners lead the way.”

Launched in 2004, the Awards are run in association with partners World Travel Market, The Daily Telegraph, Geographical Magazine and BBC World News.

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