Based at Dochgarroch, just a few miles from Inverness, Jacobite Cruises operates across tourism, hospitality and retail. Our business includes three Loch Ness cruise boats, which welcome more than 300,000 passengers a year, alongside three holiday cottages and An Talla Café & Gift Shop.
Operating at this scale brings a clear responsibility. We are fortunate to work on one of the most iconic waterways in the world, and protecting the natural environment that makes Loch Ness so special is a priority for us.
Working outdoors has made the impacts of climate change increasingly difficult to ignore. Weather patterns feel less predictable, storms are becoming more frequent and we are seeing an increase in official weather warnings. Tourism trends also show that visitors are increasingly looking for more sustainable travel choices, and we want to meet those expectations.
That is why we are delighted to have achieved the Green Tourism Gold Award, an internationally recognised accreditation that recognises what we are already doing and gives us a framework for where we go next.
Sustainability is about more than carbon
When people talk about sustainability, the first things that often come to mind are carbon footprints, reducing waste and recycling.
These are vitally important, but sustainability is about much more than that. For us, it also includes people, communities, local businesses, biodiversity and helping visitors experience a destination responsibly. In many ways, we were already doing a lot of this work, but the Green Tourism process helped us step back, document it properly and identify where we can improve.
Like many businesses in tourism and hospitality, Covid changed our priorities significantly. Our focus, energy and resources had to shift towards keeping the business operating and rebuilding afterwards.
Now that we have rebuilt, we want to make sure that our next phase of growth is environmentally and socially sustainable.
Supporting our local community
Our relationship with the local community is central to that journey.
In 2025, as we celebrated our 50th anniversary, we introduced a Charity of the Month initiative. Staff nominated charities that mattered to them, and we made donations while using our social media channels to raise awareness.
The response was fantastic, and we have decided to continue the initiative, moving to a different charity every quarter.
Keeping it local
Wherever possible, we work with local producers and suppliers. Our next aim is for 70% of our suppliers to be based locally, and then to keep increasing that proportion. This supports the regional economy, reduces the impacts of longer supply chains and keeps more of the value generated by tourism within the local community.
Our commitment to local employment is equally important, with all of our staff living within 20 miles of the business. This helps ensure that the benefits of our business are felt locally and strengthens our connections with nearby communities.
Alongside our Green Tourism Gold Award, we have also achieved Gold in the Highland Council Employer Charter, which recognises good employment practices, fair pay, workforce development, local supply chains and being an employer of choice.
Encouraging biodiversity
Protecting the natural environment around us is about more than reducing carbon. We also want to create spaces where wildlife can thrive.
We have installed bird boxes and bee hotels around our Dochgarroch site, providing additional nesting and shelter opportunities for local bird and insect populations.
Our three Highland cows also play a practical role by naturally managing grass around the site, reducing the need for mechanical cutting while becoming a much-loved part of the Dochgarroch landscape.
Helping visitors travel more responsibly
We also recognise that our responsibility extends beyond our own operation.
We provide information about public transport and active travel options for reaching our attraction and exploring the wider area. Our departure point at Dochgarroch can be reached from Inverness on foot or by bicycle along the historic Caledonian Canal.
We also encourage visitors to look beyond the best-known attractions and discover smaller businesses, forest walks, wildlife experiences and less-visited places around Loch Ness and the Highlands.
For us, sustainable tourism is not simply about bringing people to Loch Ness. It is about encouraging visitors to spend longer in the destination, discover more of it and build a meaningful connection with the place.
Understanding our carbon footprint
One of our biggest challenges and opportunities has been understanding our carbon footprint.
Completing the Climate Springboard course gave us the knowledge and confidence to start calculating the footprint of a diverse business internally.
We will use the Green Business Carbon Tracker to establish a carbon footprint for each area of the business and create a clear benchmark.
Putting emissions into numbers gives us greater clarity and has helped us develop our Net Zero Action Plan.
A long-term journey
We know that becoming a lower-carbon business will not happen overnight.
For a business operating vessels, vehicles, accommodation, hospitality and retail, progress will depend on investment, infrastructure and advances in technology.
For example, an electric vessel still needs the appropriate charging infrastructure, so our transition must be phased and realistic.
The Green Tourism assessment has helped turn sustainability from a collection of individual initiatives into a structured, long-term programme.
Looking to the future
Achieving Green Tourism Gold is something we are very proud of, but we do not see it as the end of the journey.
The assessment process has given us a clearer understanding of where we are today, where we need to improve and the actions we need to take next.
Our goal is simple: to protect and enhance the natural environment that makes this area so special, so residents, visitors and future generations can continue to enjoy Loch Ness responsibly.
After 50 years of welcoming visitors to Loch Ness, we are looking forward to the next chapter and making sure the place we depend on is protected for the next 50 years and beyond.
