STB's green hotel scheme attracts foreign interest

The Scottish Tourist Board's new awards scheme for environmentally friendly hotels is attracting further interest from around the world.

The Green Tourism Business Scheme is being studied by the Wales Tourist Board and hotel associations in Europe, as well as hoteliers from Iceland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands.

And the USA's Environmental Protection Agency has praised it as "one of the three best programmes we have seen anywhere in the world".

To date, silver awards have been granted to the Golf View Hotel in Nairn, the Highlands, and Kings Manor hotel in Edinburgh.

Details of the green scheme will be posted in August to the 9,000 businesses involved in Scotland's star accommodation grading system. The tourist board hopes to involve 100 hotels this year, rising to 1,000 by year three.