Bristol Report - Sustainable future. This report will suggest and discuss strategies to meet government targets to reduce the Bristol visitor per day carbon footprint, in order to reduce the South Wests as a whole.

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Bristol Report

  1. Introduction

This report will suggest and discuss strategies to meet government targets to reduce the Bristol visitor per day carbon footprint, in order to reduce the South West’s as a whole. Carbon Footprint is defined as a ‘measure of the exclusive total amount of carbon dioxide emissions that is directly and indirectly caused by an activity or is accumulated over the life stages of a product (Wiedmann and Minx, 2008, p.4). It is also important not to the neglect the other problems connected to carbon footprint, for example vehicle congestion.

Simpson et al. (2008, cited by McKercher et al, 2010, p.297) suggest that 'tourists should travel less often and stay longer in the destination, minimise their air travel by taking terrestrial transport, choose destinations that are closer to home, participate in carbon offsetting programmes, and purchase goods only from certified tour operators, hotels and destinations'.

‘A sustainable transportation system is one that: allows the basic access needs of individuals and societies to be met safely and in a manner consistent with human and ecosystem health, and with equity within and between generations; is affordable, operates efficiently, offers choice of transport mode, and supports a vibrant economy; and limits emissions and waste within the planet’s ability to absorb them, minimizes consumption of non-renewable resources, limits consumption of renewable resources to the sustainable yield level, reuses and recycles its components, and minimizes the use of land and the production of noise.”

(Centre for Sustainable Transportation 2005, cited in Pauli G, 2010)

'The 2008 Climate Change Act made Britain the first country in the world to set legally binding carbon budgets, aiming to cut UK emissions by at least 80% by 2050' ( , 2011). The expected target to reach by 2020 and 2050 shown in Figure 1 illustrates an arduous task ahead.  Therefore, it is imperative that we focus our attention on the factors, which will tackle Bristol’s carbon footprint. In this instance the travel sector is causing most problems, especially from overseas visitors coming to Bristol. Overall, transport is by far the most important factor contributing to leisure-related energy use and emissions of greenhouse gases: results indicate that transport may be responsible for almost 94% of the overall contribution of tourism to global warming (Gössling, 2002, p.287).

‘Bristol today is an aspirational city; sure of its place as the regional capital of England's south west and confident of its reputation of one of Europe's most powerful economies’ (Bristol City Council, 2010). As being a diverse and vibrant city, Bristol attracts people from across Britain, Europe and the wider world. With 1.47 million overnight stays, Bristol was the fourth most popular UK overnight tourist destination in 2008 (www.thisisbristol.co.uk, 2009).

Figure 1: Graph showing South West Carbon Footprint proposed targets for 2020 and 2050

Source: Reap Tourism, 2006


Our focus within this report will look at the existing tourism provision in Bristol and strategies that can change and improve the carbon footprint of Bristol within the travel, accommodation and shopping sector. Moreover, a marketing strategy will also be discussed in terms of attracting more domestic tourists which are also aware of their carbon footprint. Examples will be used to see how successful other destinations have been in trying to reduce their carbon footprint. This report will first begin to look at the travel and transport sector in terms of its existing provision and strategies to improve the city’s overall sustainability.

2. Transport

2.1 Existing transport provision in Bristol

Bristol is one of the most easily accessible cities in the UK. The city provides a well developed infrastructure and public transport network, including rail, road, bus, and floating harbour ferries. Furthermore, the city is equipped with numerous cycle routes, ‘acknowledging the city's growing status as one of Europe's most bike-friendly destinations’ (, 2010) In addition, Bristol has a large international airport, with operators flying into Bristol from 112 different countries.

  1. Suggested Changes to reduce carbon footprint

2.2.1 Bristol Cycle City

Bristol has the potential to offer itself as a cycle city and influence more visitors to use bikes as a means of sustainable transport. The proposed strategy for Bristol becoming a cycle city will have positive effects on the environment. ‘A bicycle is the cleanest, most sustainable, healthiest and fastest mode of urban transport. In terms of greenhouse gas emissions, the bicycle is than 100 times more sustainable than the car and much more sustainable than public transport too’ (Ministry of Transport, 2009).

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Amsterdam (Netherlands) is one example of a popular ‘cycling city’. With the backing of local governments the city has enforced and regulated an excellent cycling system which has seen effective results. The percentage of people who use their bike in Amsterdam amounts to more than 30% (Ministry of Transport, 2009). The city offers a park and bike scheme where visitors park in a garage and take a rental bike, but pay for the parking of the car. There are also various bike parking garages as shown in figure 2 below. The city also has excellent cycling infrastructure, one in which ...

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