§ Mrs. Ray MichieTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what initiatives his Department has undertaken to encourage green tourism in the highlands and islands. [30447]
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonThe Scottish tourism co-ordinating group which I chair and on which the Scottish Office industry department is represented has produced the strategic plan for Scottish tourism, which identifies green tourism as a source of opportunity for the Scottish tourism industry. The co-ordinating group has722W also set up the tourism and environment task force, which has provided detailed guidance for tourism operators. The task force is overseeing a number of local pilot projects looking at various aspects of environmentally sustainable tourism. Around half of these projects are in the highlands and islands.