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Warwickshire’s tourism body has partnered with an international agency to launch a blueprint to make the county’s tourism community more sustainable.

Shakespeare’s England has launched its first-ever Sustainability Action Plan in conjunction with the Global Destination Sustainability Movement (GDS-Movement), which is one of the world’s most trusted change agencies, helping cities and regions around the world become more sustainable, resilient, and regenerative.

Through the GDS-Index – its trusted performance improvement programme – the GDS-Movement empowers tourism and event professionals with the mindsets, skills, and tools needed to drive lasting social, environmental, and economic transformation.

The Sustainability Action Plan focuses on three key areas including the environment, and the social and economic impact of tourism.

Environmental focuses include growing the use of public transport, increasing the number of tourism businesses with a sustainability certification from 55 per cent to 75 per cent, while reducing carbon emissions by 50 per cent by 2030.

Plans to drive further engagement with the county’s residents are also underway, including providing opportunities for residents to feedback on tourism matters, and for them to be treated as tourists for the day in their own region with suggested itineraries.

To increase the economic impact of tourism in the region, Shakespeare’s England is also developing a campaign to promote out-of-season visits, alongside hosting or supporting a dedicated careers fair to connect schools and colleges with tourism businesses.

The plan was launched at the carbon-neutral Shakespeare Distillery during Big Green Week – which is the UK’s biggest celebration of community action to tackle climate change and protect nature.

Darren Tosh, Marketing and Operations Director at Shakespeare’s England, said: “While sustainability is becoming increasingly important – especially in tourism – it can be difficult to clearly define and measure, and so our action plan is setting out to change this.

“What does a sustainable tourist destination look like for Warwickshire?

“It means more use of public transport tied with close monitoring of passenger habits, it means all tourism businesses know how to adopt regenerative habits into their everyday operations, and it means creating a healthy pipeline of the next generation of workers to support the local economy.

“This action plan marks the start of a long-term journey that is seeking to achieve tangible results, and has been informed following input from both tourism businesses on the ground and the GDS-Movement.”

The launch of the action plan at Shakespeare Distillery comes off the back of the distillery being certified carbon neutral in 2022 and winning ‘Best Green Business’ for three consecutive years at the Stratford Herald Business & Tourism Awards.

Since 2022 the company has further reduced its carbon emissions by 45 per cent, investing in a new electric delivery van and energy efficient stills, as well as offering a bottle re-fill scheme. The distillery is now run on 100 per cent renewable energy with solar panels on the roof and uses a fully carbon neutral waste management company.

Peter Monks, Director at Shakespeare Distillery said “We were honoured to host the launch of Shakespeare’s England’s first Sustainability Action Plan here at our distillery during Big Green Week. As a certified carbon neutral business, we understand the importance of measurable, practical steps towards sustainability.

“Whether it’s investing in more sustainable packaging, sourcing local ingredients, or offering bottle re-fills, we’re committed to reducing our environmental impact year after year. It’s inspiring to see our region taking collective action through this plan – creating a greener, more resilient future for Warwickshire’s tourism industry.”

Guy Bigwood, Chief Changemaker at the Global Destination Sustainability Movement, added: “We’re really pleased to see Shakespeare’s England launch its first Sustainability Action Plan. Since joining the GDS-Index in 2023, they have shown a strong commitment to making tourism more sustainable and regenerative.

“Over the past year, they’ve worked hard to engage local tourism businesses, and we’ve been proud to support this through workshops and knowledge-sharing with suppliers on the ground.

“By taking clear and practical steps, they are not only creating positive change in Warwickshire but also setting an example for other destinations across England. It’s great to see them joining a growing movement of places that are rethinking tourism for the benefit of communities, businesses and the environment.”

For more information about Shakespeare’s England’s sustainability action plan, visit www.shakespeares-england.co.uk/sustainability-in-shakespeares-england/