Sustainable Orkney tourism business, JP Orkney, has been shortlisted for a prestigious Climate Action accolade in this year’s Highlands and Islands Thistle Awards (HITA), which reward excellence in the hospitality industry.
The Climate Action category of the awards, now in their 17th year, celebrates businesses and events which actively support Scotland’s transition to a low carbon economy, and have made demonstrable progress embedding sustainability values into their core activity.
Birsay based JP Orkney is run by Jane Ellison and Paul Hudd, with the couple offering guided tours in an all-electric vehicle and a range of handmade Orkney produce, all created using seasonal and local ingredients.
Already recognised by the Green Tourism scheme, the company strives to promote and deliver an eco-friendly approach to travel and tourism in Orkney, with an extensive green business policy.
JP Orkney won the Responsible Tourism honour in the inaugural Orkney Tourism Awards, which meant they were automatically entered into the HITA event.
Paul Hudd said: “We’re delighted to have been shortlisted for this important HITA award, which recognises our efforts to deliver a sustainable tourism experience for visitors to Orkney. We’re particularly proud to be representing the islands in the finals and very much look forward to November’s awards event.”
This year’s HITA event sees 16 awards up for grabs, with winners announced at a special ceremony and dinner, being held on Friday 10 November in the Drumossie Hotel, Inverness.
Each category winner, with the exception of the Highland Rising Star and Highland Ambassador, will automatically become a national finalist at the Scottish Thistle Awards in December 2023.
Ailsa Heal, destination manager at Destination Orkney, said: “This is a huge achievement for JP Orkney and all of us within the local tourism industry would like to congratulate Jane and Paul on reaching the finals. Sustainable tourism is something we all need to be thinking about, with JP Orkney setting the finest of examples with their approach to their business. We’re also delighted that their success in the Orkney Tourism Awards has led to this next level in terms of industry recognition.”
Visit the official JP Orkney website.