Sustainable Tourism Advisers in Regions (STAR)
Last updated:
September 2008
The Sustainable Tourism Advisers in Regions (STAR) programme provides tourism operators with tools for improving their environmental performance in nine regions in New Zealand.
The project contributes to an important outcome of the New Zealand Tourism Strategy 2015 – “that the tourism sector takes a leading role in protecting and enhancing New Zealand’s environment”.
The nine regions in the STAR programme are:
Auckland, Central Otago, Coromandel, Hawke’s Bay, Marlborough, North Canterbury, Queenstown, Wairarapa and Wellington.
Each of these regions will receive $88,000 funding over three years to employ a sustainability adviser who will work one-on-one with tourism operators. The Regional Tourism Organisations (RTOs) will contribute funds to the project, and operators will be expected to contribute financially for the service.
The STAR programme is a revised version of the Sustainable Tourism Charter, which sought to encourage sustainable business practices in six regions: Nelson Tasman, Northland, Rotorua, Southland, Wanaka and Bay of Plenty.
The objectives of STAR are to:
- Provide tourism operators with clear advice and tools for improving their environmental performance
- Ensure operators monitor and improve their resource efficiency
- Help operators choose actions which they and their staff are proud of and can narrate a story about to their visitors
- Assist operators to improve their contribution to the local community through involvement in local community or conservation projects
- Prove the value of sustainable advisory services to operators
- Encourage the uptake of Qualmark
- Help Qualmark licence holders meet new environmental criteria – the Responsible Tourism Operations criteria
The aim is to help operators improve business sustainability and ensure more tourism operators visibly deliver on New Zealand 100% Pure brand promise.
Contact your STAR adviser:
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