Eco-Friendly Travel is 'Essential'
Friends of the Earth has highlighted the importance of ensuring that every travel operator that claims to offer eco-friendly travel is doing "exactly that".The environmental charity said that it is "essential" that tourists as well as tour operators take a more responsible attitude to travel, as four fifths of all UK trips abroad are within Europe – many of which could easily have been taken by train.
It urged the government to ensure that the cost of flying reflects the environmental damage it can cause.
Jenny Collins, spokeswoman for Friends of the Earth, said: "Each company offering responsible tourism should be assessed on its own merits and this includes the transport options it chooses to offer.
"It's important to ensure that every tour operator which claims to offer ecologically sustainable tourism is doing exactly that, to make sure that local people and habitats actually benefit from the positive effects that sustainable tourism can bring".
She added that aviation is the fastest growing source of carbon emissions, already accounting for 13 per cent of UK emissions.
Whereas many European countries implemented high-speed rail networks, which are more environmentally friendly than aviation travel, in the 1970s and 1980s the UK lagged behind.
The Channel tunnel rail link was Britain's first high-speed line in the 90s and the second was introduced this year when the Eurostar moved to St Pancras.
Travel Industry news posted on 29 November 2007
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