Close
Articles by Year

<<     >>

Articles by Category

UK +44 (0)1479 420120

Sustainable Tourism

Caring for the places we love

Making the Right Choices

In choosing The Wilderness Group you can be sure that you are travelling with a company that takes its commitment to sustainable tourism seriously. We have been dedicated to operating in as sustainable a way as possible since the very beginning of our company two decades ago. We have taken an industry leading position on climate change and emissions reductions and deliver significant support each year to environments and communities through our pioneering Conservation Contribution Scheme.

Our vision for 21st century tourism is one in which the industry can play a major role in helping people to enjoy, experience and connect with the amazing natural environments in which we live.

Our commitment has been recognised in many awards over the years including twice winning the Best Green Tour Operator in the World Travel Awards. For over 15 years we have held a Gold Award from the Green Tourism Business Scheme – recognised as the world’s most credible Sustainable Tourism Programme.

Find out more about The Wilderness Group’s commitment to sustainable tourism below.

Wilderness Climate Emergency Declaration

Our business was created to share our passion for the inspiration, spirit and value of the natural environment. What we didn’t know when we started our business many years ago, was how significant the threat of a changing climate would become. While we have always sought to run an environmentally sustainable business (and have been independently recognised several times for doing so), we feel the time has now come to ramp up the action, work harder and act more creatively to respond to the climate emergency with renewed focus and energy.

The Tourism Industry

Alongside other industries, tourism plays a contributing role to the climate crisis and we acknowledge this requires an urgent need for change across the industry. The paradox is that travel and tourism can be an amazingly positive force for good. Well managed, sustainable tourism supports local economic development, sustains local communities and traditions and shines a light on nature and wildlife conservation.

Built upon this philosophy, our mission is to maximise these positive benefits of tourism while seeking to minimise the negative impacts. Climate change is happening now and that is why we became one of the founding signatories to the Tourism Declares a Climate Emergency and the Glasgow Declaration. Our commitment to reducing emissions is the response we feel is needed across the travel industry. Backed by science and with expert independent input, we have committed to reducing our carbon emissions by 90% by 2030 (9% per annum for 10 years from 2020). For those emissions we cannot eliminate by 2030, we undertake to permanently remove the carbon equivalent from the atmosphere by investing in reforestation and afforestation projects. Through this approach our goal is to achieve “True” Net Zero status by 2030.

Progress to Date

Our work over the past two decades has taken us a long way to this net zero goal already but there remains a lot of work to be done, which will arguably be the hardest work of all. The recent design and development of our own net zero HQ, powered by renewable energy on a brownfield site in the Cairngorms National Park is a sign of our commitment. Over the coming years, we’ll continue to push harder and respond faster to make further reductions to both our direct and indirect carbon emissions drawing upon the most extensive measurement and benchmarking exercise we have ever done.

You can read more about our approach to Climate Change on these pages, including details of how we have measured our carbon footprint and developed one of the world’s first carbon labelling schemes for travel. We hope such labelling will become the norm allowing us all to make more informed and better decisions on where and how to travel. We will report on our progress on an annual basis and share this on our website and in communications with our clients.

Find out More at Tourism Declares

Sustainability Partnerships and Ethos

Across each of our consumer-facing brands, we have developed strong partnerships focussed around our core values. Where sustainability is of particular interest to your clients, our partnerships can provide powerful opportunities to give back, something which embodies our collective spirit and passion for adventure in wild places.

Wilderness Conservation & Community Fund Read More

A cornerstone of our commitment as a sustainable travel company is our pioneering Wilderness Conservation & Community Fund  – this fund was designed to allow our travellers to give back to those environments and communities at the heart of our adventurous experiences in wild places.

Since its inception, traveller contributions to the WCCF have raised over £100,000 for grassroots environmental and community organisations committed to making the world a better place. Wilderness Scotland absorbs all of the administration costs of the fund and the projects, meaning the contributions deliver maximum impact.

Leave No Trace Read More

The Wilderness Group and its brands are fully committed to the principles of low impact travel. We are a proud partner of the Leave No Trace Centre for Outdoor Ethics, which enhances our commitment to responsible activity in all of the locations in which we operate.

We continually commit to ensuring our guiding and office team are trained in and practice the principles of Leave No Trace as outlined below:

  1. Plan Ahead & Prepare
  2. Be Considerate of Others
  3. Respect Farm Animals and Wildlife
  4. Travel and Camp on Durable Ground
  5. Leave What You Find
  6. Dispose of Waste Properly
  7. Minimise the Effects of Fire
The Big 100 Read More

The objective of the Big 100 is simple – The Wilderness Office Teams will dedicate 100 days to volunteering each year.

This commitment involves each member of the Wilderness Team contributing 2 days of voluntary service to take place during work time.

There are no restrictions on the type of volunteering and recent work has taken the team in some interesting and rewarding directions both close to home and further afield. Recent volunteering efforts include:

  • Footpath repair and renewal across Scotland
  • Native reforestation work with the RSPB
  • Seal Rescue Ireland
  • Mentoring for young adults in Inverness
  • Training and development for tourism businesses
  • Driving for the community car scheme in Aviemore
  • Sector representation in the industry

Making a Difference

The Environment

Through the provision of engaging experiences from wilderness to wildlife, we are firmly of the view that positive tourism experiences have the capacity to foster a strong connection with the natural world and promote more sustainable living in these challenging times we currently face.

We never forget that first and foremost our adventures are about great holiday experiences so, don’t worry, we won’t be holding evening lectures and workshops on embedded carbon and alternative energy! However, you can expect our experienced and knowledgeable guides to develop your understanding of the amazing environment in which we live.

Our business activities and trip operations are purposefully designed to minimise environmental impact and operate on a low carbon basis in line with our commitment to Net Zero by 2030. We are all about experiencing the wilderness using human power, be that on foot or by bike, kayak, canoe and sailing boat.

 

Local Communities & Economies

Integral to the experiences delivered by the Wilderness Group’s brands, is an involvement and interaction with local communities.

We consistently receive feedback from clients that the encounters and relationships with local people are one of the most enjoyable and memorable elements of a trip with us. That sentiment is widely shared by our partners who recognise the wonderful contribution and added value that communities, culture and customs make to the travel experience.

We are absolutely committed to engaging local businesses throughout our entire operation and ensuring that the economic benefits are distributed in this equitable way. As well as providing a great service to your clients, by working with local partners it also means that our groups always receive a warm welcome from the locals wherever we go.

 

In the Office

As part of our business wide commitment, we’re working hard to do all the good stuff that any responsible company should do. This approach is based upon the familiar mantra of reduction, re-use and recycle.

The good people at the Green Tourism Business Scheme have helped us along the way setting the standards which form part of our Gold Award accreditation. You can read more about the Green Tourism Business Scheme and what it involves here.

Award Winning Experiences

Best Adventure
Travel Companies
Green Tourism
Gold Approved
High-End
Experiential Travel
High-End
Experiential Travel
Luxury
Travel

Never Miss an Update

Be the first to hear about the latest trends, products and experiences from across the UK & Ireland with our monthly newsletter.