Greater Anglia among organisations calling for sustainable tourism this summer

The joint plea is hoping to encourage visitors to travel by train rather than car this summer.

Author: Kaushal MenonPublished 5th Aug 2021
Last updated 5th Aug 2021

Greater Anglia, Visit East England, the Norfolk Wildlife Trust, University of East Anglia and the region's six Community rail partnerships have come together to urge visitors in the area to travel by rail rather than by car, thereby reducing carbon emissions. This comes as tourism across the country is expecting a possible boom in staycations.

Martin Moran is the Commercial, Customer Service and Train Presentation Director at Greater Anglia: "It’s so easy to get all around East Anglia by train and have a day out that, literally, doesn’t cost the earth, reduces your carbon footprint and will help to protect the region’s fragile habitats and human health, preventing our lovely beauty spots being choked by congestion and pollution so that everyone can enjoy them more.”

Figures from the operator shows that rail travel accounts for only 1.4 percent of total carbon emissions, making it the most environmentally friendly mode of travel apart from walking and cycling. In order to promote their message, Greater Anglia and the six community Rail partnerships have also produced videos demonstrating how to reach some of the region's most beautiful tourist spots.

Pete Waters, executive director for Visit East England says that the natural landscapes, beaches and historic woodlands in the region can be enjoyed by future generations only if steps are taken now.

" Our natural environment is particularly vulnerable to climate change so it’s important we travel responsibly where we can, use our superb rail network which has myriad branch lines away from the honeypots, and walk, cycle and use public transport where we can”, he added.

In order to help tourists make conscious choices, Greater Anglia have also launched a 'green hub' online as well as a carbon calculator app that tells the customer how much they could help the planet by making the switch from car to rail travel.

They are also encouraging travellers to check ‘Less Busy Trains tool’ on their website to find quieter trains to keep them safe.

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