The end of the year is often a time for reflection and looking forward. As we look to 2025 and as we work through the recommendations of the Green Tourism assessment we’re undertaking, we look at 10 things we did this year to improve sustainability.
1. Committed to building sustainability goals in from the start
In September, the Destination North East England partners and the North East England Regenerative Tourism Taskforce launched a Regenerative Visitor Economy Framework which is a regionwide commitment to building tourism strategies which support five regenerative tourism pathways of:
- Decarbonising the industry and adapting to climate challenges.
- Fostering thriving local businesses through innovation and sustainable supply chains.
- Investing in people, creating inclusive employment opportunities and developing skills.
- Connecting people and communities with improved, inclusive infrastructure for enhanced and active mobility, and comprehensive digital access.
- Restoring nature, landscapes, culture and heritage by investing in recovery and revitalisation projects, reducing pollution and managing access, as well as creating accessible, innovative products and experiences.
2. Joined Green Tourism
North East England tourism businesses can currently access fully funded Green Tourism or Green Meetings memberships, thanks to a partnership between Destination North East England and the certifications organisation. NGI took up this offer and has been working through the recommendations ahead of assessment this spring. Green Tourism membership is providing focus and momentum for a wide range of sustainability actions we’re implementing across NGI. When we achieve certification the Green Tourism badge will allow us to demonstrate to our stakeholders the commitments we have made.
3. Questioned air travel as the default for international journeys
In October we attended the GDS Forum in Bruges, along with Visit County Durham, and were challenged to travel to the event by train. Our head of market insights Shelley Johnson arrived at the conference via one Metro journey, three train journeys and two pleasant walks through historic Bruges and equally lovely Fulwell (Sunlun!). In total it took 8-9 hours each way, was relaxing and allowed for extended periods of uninterrupted time to prepare for the event on the way there and fully digest the event on the way home. There are many times when taking the train will take too long for an international journey but we do now question flights over shorter distances.
4. Planned social impact into our events
In hosting events with sustainability themes, such as the launch of the Regenerative Visitor Economy Framework, you have to think about making sustainable choices for the event itself. For that event we had the usual basics in mind – don’t over order and waste food, no single-use plastic, think before you print, choose a venue accessible via public transport and accessible to people with impairments, etc.
We wanted to go a bit further and support some local good causes so we chose Café 16 as our caterers. Café 16 is staffed by a team of prison leavers who are trained, mentored, and led by charity the Oswin Project. The café also uses produce grown in the prison garden. We booked Northern Proud Voices to perform at the end of the event so we could also support the Newcastle-based LGBTQIA+ choir.
5. Formed an NGI sustainability team
Our sustainability champions are there to support the rest of the team in understanding and remembering the role they play in sustainability and to help them approach things in new ways. They’re also the ones putting the work into the Green Tourism assessment. Shout out to Caroline, Jess, Maddie, Sara and Shelley for volunteering to take this on.
6. Introduced monthly sustainability updates for all staff
Our short monthly sustainability updates allow the sustainability champions to pass on advice, tips and new guidance in bite-sized pieces and also to gather ideas and opinions from the whole NGI team. There are sometimes quizzes and occasionally Fairtrade chocolate…
7. Been relentless in reminding people of the basics
This one is a necessity for changing habits. Just because a person acknowledges that turning off a light before they leave an empty room is a good idea, that doesn’t mean they will remember the next time they’re in that situation. Having a sustainability team makes being relentless easier – it’s not always the same voice people hear when they’re being gently reminded.
8. Supported our local supply chain
NGI has always aimed to support our local supply chain – retaining money within the region is one of the reasons for our existence. In recent years we have been looking at new ways to do this. We partnered with FADNE to launch the tourism, food, drink and hospitality supply chain platform www.buysupply.directory in 2023 and in 2024 we have started to specifically request local products (e.g. tea, coffee and biscuits) for the meetings and events we host.
9. Learned a lot for free
Some of that learning has come via our free Green Tourism membership mentioned above but we’ve also had the opportunity to attend various meetings and events designed for organisations to share what they’ve learned to help and inspire others, with a philosophy that sustainability is a shared goal. We have benefitted from the expertise gathered in the North East England Regenerative Visitor Economy Taskforce and the English Core Cities tourism group. One of the focuses for the taskforce in 2025 will be sharing the region’s regenerative tourism stories; we’re looking forward to helping our partners tell their story in the months ahead.
10. Shared information to help others make sustainable choices
We’ve made some small changes and added bits of new content to our websites in 2024, with the aim of helping visitors to the destination, convention bureau clients and NGI’s partners and stakeholders make more sustainable choices while in Newcastle, Gateshead and the rest of the North East. This has included highlighting public transport and active travel options for visiting and getting around the destination, advice on being a responsible visitor, and information about restaurants with plant-based menus. You can read our tips for being a responsible visitor here. Let us know if you have any additional tips to help travellers visit NewcastleGateshead responsibly.