New Web Tool for Tourism Businesses
NEWS RELEASE
Calling all smart businesses – are you climate prepared?
A new online resource will assist forward-looking businesses in preparing for the effects of climate change. In tough economic times many are already looking to reduce the future risks to their business, make the most of emerging opportunities and keep ahead of the game as the economic outlook improves.
‘Preparing for Change: climate-proof your tourism business’ is available at http://www.climateprepared.com. It has been developed in partnership by Climate South East, South West Climate Change Impacts Partnership, South West Tourism and Tourism South East, and is structured around the impacts of severe weather. Each section tells how businesses might be affected, suggests practical actions to reduce the risk or take advantage of the opportunities, and provides guidance to further information and support.
The site contains a checklist to enable businesses to record their progress quickly in adapting to climate change and provides them with a personalised action plan complete with signposts to relevant further help.
With weather patterns changing, severe events such as floods, heatwaves and droughts are likely to become more frequent and intense – the recent floods in Cumbria are an example of something predicted to happen more frequently in future. http://www.climateprepared.com is designed to help tourism businesses prepare and adapt for the effects of our changing climate.
Paul Jeffries, Sustainable Development Manager at Tourism South East and Chair of the Tourism Sector Group at Climate South East said, ‘Smart businesses are environmentally and socially responsible, but they also know that climate change represents a business continuity issue as well as an opportunity. Forward-looking businesses are starting to prepare and adapt – just as they would to any other issue affecting their industry and http://www.climateprepared.com can help them do this. In the current economic climate, they know that being resilient could mean the difference between success and failure.’
Emma Whittlesea, Sustainability Strategist at South West Tourism and Chair of the Tourism Sector Group at South West Climate Change Impacts Partnership said, ‘Weather patterns are changing, and severe events are likely to become more frequent and intense. Whilst many businesses are aware of the problem they can be intimidated by the scale of it and do not know where to start, thinking ‘what can I do?’ This toolkit is designed to help those businesses plan for change in a logical, step-by-step way and face the future with greater confidence.’
ENDS
For further information contact:
Hannah Payne (Communications Manager) at Tourism South East on 023 8062 5471 or email ; or Paul Jeffries at Tourism South East on 023 8062 5501 or email .
Liz Dale (Manager of PR & Communications) at South West Tourism on 01392 353218 or ; or Emma Whittlesea at South West Tourism on 01392 353233 or .
Note to Editors:
Climate South East is a partnership of public, private and voluntary sector organisations committed to taking action to address the causes and effects of climate change in South East England. It brings partners together to share understanding, carry out research, develop solutions and influence policy, and works closely with similar organisations throughout the UK and internationally. CSE is funded primarily by its partner organisations, and receives additional funding from the Department of Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) to support regional work that helps organisations across sectors adapt to the impacts of a changing climate.
South West Climate Change Impacts Partnership is a regional partnership set up to advise on the impacts of climate change in South West England, and develop and promote sustainable adaptation. SWCCIP works with a number of key regional organisations and is funded by Defra, the Environment Agency, South West Water and Ecclesiastical Insurance. SWCCIP’s Tourism Sector Group is also supported by South West Tourism.
South West Tourism is the official regional tourist board, working with partners to stimulate and manage the development of tourism in the South West region, in line with the regional tourism strategy. SWT is an independent body for tourism in the region with a board of directors drawn predominantly from the private sector and partners, and is funded by the South West RDA and European Commission funds.
Tourism South East is a not-for-profit company and the official tourist board for the South East region covering Surrey, Kent, East and West Sussex, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire. TSE receives core funding from South East England Development Agency and is active in a range of programmes to support the tourism sector in the region, which is worth in excess of £12bn p.a. to the regional economy (7% of regional GVA), and supports over 300,000 jobs.
See a PDF of the release here: Climateprepared press release
