A spotlight on sustainable tourism

What is ‘sustainable tourism’?

The terms ‘sustainable’ and ‘sustainable tourism’ are becoming more and more common within the travel industry – but what do they really mean? And how do you know when a company is just jumping on the PR bandwagon vs actually committing to make a difference?

A definition

The concept of sustainability is pretty straightforward – it means sustaining resources to avoid their depletion, whether that be environmental, economic or cultural.

The World Tourism Organization defines sustainable tourism as:  “tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, meeting the needs of visitors, industry, the environment and local communities.”

In basic terms, it means visiting somewhere and trying to ensure that your visit leaves as little impact as possible. We would hope that most visitors travel in this way, but unfortunately, this isn’t the case.

Why is sustainable tourism important?

Sadly, whilst tourism is a big part of our local economy, it doesn’t come without negatives.

I grew up in the local area and started my working life as a teenager in the holiday service industry. I know only too well how important it is for us to have customers coming on holiday here and spending money. Many businesses rely on the seasonal trade to boost their income to get through the off-season. However, alongside this, we have to acknowledge the negative impacts on the community, wildlife and the planet as a whole from tourism. These include:

• increased litter/waste
• increased cost of living for local communities, including increased house prices
• impact of cheap souvenirs/holiday purchases e.g. poor poor-quality surfboards & cheap wetsuits that get left behind
• wildlife and local ecosystems are being damaged due to lack of awareness
• impact of increased travel on local systems & wider environment

Focussing on sustainable tourism can have a big impact and ensure that:

• the revenue from tourism stays in the local area
• local communities are improved rather than damaged
• the local environment and wildlife is protected

Promoting sustainable tourism during your stay

Travel sustainably

North Devon is a rural area so transport is always going to be a challenge. However, where possible we would encourage you to try to consider using public transport or having days in and around your holiday accommodation. Trying to minimise the amount of driving you are doing will reduce your carbon emissions and the impact on the local environment.  You can check the Stagecoach Bus website for live bus times & route planners.

Slowly there are an increasing number of EV chargers across the area, so if you have an EV car then consider bringing this. We are also encouraging owners to install these at properties where possible and will highlight them on our listings as an additional feature where this is the case.

To support you in travelling more sustainably, you can download the North Devon Explorer app, created by North Devon UNESCO Biosphere. This app provides information such as traffic congestion to reduce pollution & details of EV charging points.

Shop locally

Whether it’s buying groceries or looking for gifts to take home, consider where your purchase has come from. Ditch the mass-produced tourist tat and seek out something special from a local creator. Many areas have local craft markets through the summer, including Croyde & Braunton. There are also a number of farm shops & veg delivery schemes where you can get local produce.

Plastic-free North Devon has a comprehensive list of suppliers in their #looklocal directory. If you’re staying in one of our properties then have a look in your property pack. In it, we offer lots of suggestions for local businesses that you can support. You can also have a look at our blog pages and social media for regular posts on days out and suppliers from around the area.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

When buying things first ask yourself do I really need it? Think about where it’s come from – can you source it from a local producer or supplier rather than a national chain? Where is it going to go once you’re finished with it? Can you rent or borrow it instead?

Many local organisations have signed up for the Plastic Free North Devon mission & have actively reduced their use of single-use plastics. We would encourage you, where possible, to think about doing the same. Bring your own coffee cup, refill your bottles & think about how much waste you are generating. All of our properties will have instructions for recycling, so please follow these & recycle what you can.

There are also projects aimed at encouraging you to think about renting or borrowing rather than purchasing items. For example, there are several beach-borrowing libraries around the area. There you can borrow beach toys such as balls or a bucket or spade for the day; locations include Croyde, Woolacombe & Northam Burrows. You can also hire out or borrow traditional wooden body boards, which last much longer & have a much-reduced impact on the environment. These are available from a number of local businesses. There are more details for both of these schemes via Plastic Free North Devon.

Get involved

If you’re really feeling keen then get involved with learning about & protecting our local area; this means that it’ll be here for you to enjoy for years to come! Some ideas include:

• doing a 2-minute beach clean – Why not also post your #2minutebeachclean finds on your social media to to highlight the issue and encourage others to do their own?
• dropping by at one of Plastic Free North Devons ‘pop-ups’ to learn more about the impact of single-use plastic
• going along to a National Trust event – in the summer holidays the rangers run events such as rock pooling which is a great opportunity for kids to learn about our local marine life
• checking out the events run by Exmoor National Park to learn more about this beautiful & very important area of North Devon
• promoting and/or donating to local sustainability & environmental projects – some examples include North Devon Dynamic Dunescapes, Plastic Free North Devon, North Devon Biosphere, Exmoor National Park, the Ocean Recovery Project & Surfers Against Sewage

What is Cottages on the Coast doing?

As a truly local company, we appreciate the importance of sustaining our local area & supporting the local economy. We’re not just writing this blog as promotion or to get on the bandwagon of a current trend, but because we really believe in it. When we started setting up Cottages on the Coast we knew that sustainability was going to be a core feature of what we do. Our plan to support sustainable tourism will evolve over time, we’re only new & we plan to keep giving back. But so far this is what we have done or pledged to do:

Using eco-friendly products

At our home and in all of the properties that we housekeep we use eco-friendly products where possible. This includes BioD handwash and washing up liquid which we refill from large containers.

We also supply the properties with natural washing-up sponges and cloths. If these are in good condition after a guest stay then we will wash and reuse them for the next booking. If they’re looking a little tatty then we take them home and reuse them ourselves until the end of their life

Reducing, reusing, recycling

This one is a no-brainer – we separate all of our waste and recycling to ensure that as little as possible goes into landfill. We also separate our food waste & try to minimise this as much as possible by being mindful of how we shop. We have actively minimised our use of single-use plastics e.g. using refillable containers/bottles/coffee cups & taking bags with us for shopping.

Using renewable energy

As we are blessed to live in such a sunny area – this year we installed solar panels on the roof of our house (which is also Cottages on the Coast HO). They now produce approx. 80% of the electricity we use, with the other 20% coming from a green energy tariff. So whilst we are busy responding to your emails & doing admin, we are fuelled by natural energy! In just over 2 months we have saved over 300kg of CO2.

Using and promoting local businesses

Right from the day we started Cottages on the Coast we knew we wanted to support as many local businesses in our venture as possible. Having worked for a larger national holiday cottage company, we recognise that this means that the money from your stay gets drawn away from the local area. We have held true to this and the majority of our suppliers and service providers are based in Devon or the South West. This means that when you spend money with us, it stays local. Below are just some of the providers that have been key in our start up so far:

The VoIP People, Anytime Booking, QBall Media, Anthera Marketing, Together Financial Solutions, Thomas Westcott

Giving back to local causes

As explained, sustainability doesn’t just mean looking after the environment. We are also giving back our time. We have committed to regularly giving our time & expertise for free to local causes. Again this means that guests and homeowners who choose Cottages on the Coast are choosing to support local good causes.

So if you are a homeowner who feels that sustainability is an important aspect of owning a holiday let in North Devon; then don’t hesitate to get in contact with us. We’d be happy to discuss further with you what we can offer & our passion for this area.