Ecotourism Australia, the nation’s peak body for sustainable and ecotourism, has entered a groundbreaking industry partnership with Destination NSW to support sustainable products and experiences within the NSW visitor economy.
The partnership will provide complimentary access to the pre-certification Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard benchmarking tool for eligible NSW visitor economy businesses to begin their sustainability journey. The collaboration will increase awareness of sustainability best practices across the entire NSW visitor economy, turning commitments into actions and positioning NSW at the forefront of sustainability across the sector nationally.
Chief Executive of Ecotourism Australia, Ms Elissa Keenan, said, “To see Destination NSW take momentous action towards a more sustainable visitor economy is incredible and to be highly commended.
“New South Wales is the first to launch a state-wide program to provide to provide direct support to their tourism operators through the Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard program.
“Sustainability is no longer a wish for the future or an intangible ideal, it is an essential for all businesses. Increasingly, visitors are demanding genuinely sustainable and responsible travel experiences that enable them to have a positive impact on the environment and local communities.
“Destination NSW’s leadership and support for business to take the important first step on their sustainability journey is a significant commitment and places New South Wales on both a national and international stage as a rising leader in sustainable tourism,” Ms Keenan said.
The Scorecard, which will be fully funded for participants through the Ecotourism Australia and Destination NSW partnership, is available to eligible businesses across the visitor economy including attractions, tours, accommodations, wineries, restaurants, visitor centres and more. It will assess their current performance across the four pillars of sustainability: sustainable business management and positive environmental, socio-economic, and cultural impacts. This first-of-its-kind partnership forms part of Destination NSW’s NSW First Program, which assists businesses across the state to develop, promote and sell world-class visitor experiences.
“Support for our stakeholders to undertake credible sustainability programs, like the Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard, is essential to give them the confidence to begin their sustainability journey,” said Destination NSW Chief Executive, Steve Cox.
“We are committed to developing and promoting high-quality, genuinely sustainable visitor experiences offerings that align with consumer expectations. Our partnership with Ecotourism Australia will ensure visitor economy businesses in NSW are on the path to meeting those expectations,” he said.
Ecotourism Australia launched the Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard in late 2022 with founding partner Tourism Australia. Its aim is to enable any visitor economy business to embark on their sustainability journey in a simple and affordable way. ATDW (Distribution partner) and Big Red Group (Key Enablement partner) are additional partners in the program nationally.
Expressions of interest are being accepted for eligible businesses to participate in the Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard funded by Destination NSW in partnership with Ecotourism Australia.
More information is available at: https://www.ecotourism.org.au/strive-4-sustainability/nsw
Destination NSW
Images courtesy of Destination NSW.