Breaking the exclusive news that the SUNx Malta Climate Friendly Travel Registry has just signed up its most famous recruit to date.

Visit Inverness Loch Ness (VILN) home of Nessie, the world famous Loch Ness Monster, has become the first destination to join the SUNx Malta Climate Friendly Travel Registry (CFTR).

Professor Geoffrey Lipman says he is delighted to receive VILN as what he hopes will be the first of many destinations to join the CFTR community.

“It is a sign of the continuous growth of our registry due to the sterling work of our registrar Hans Friederich and team of climate champions,” said Professor Lipman. “Climate change is a real issue for all travel destinations around the world and I truly belief that Inverness will be the first of many destinations to join the fold.”

VILN has been working on its sustainability initiative since the appointment of two new destination development managers in November 2021.

Inverness Loch Ness: a Sustainable Destination

“We want Inverness and Loch Ness to be sustainable for itself and be a sustainable destination, encouraging visitors to offset their trips through tree planting,” says Bryony Beck one of the two destination development managers. She has been working on carbon offsetting the organisation’s emissions for 2019-2021.

“Visit Inverness Loch Ness destination covers the city of Inverness, Loch Ness, and its communities, some of which are very rural,” adds Bryony. “We’re quite a unique destination as we’re an island, have a city on our doorstep and have our rural area on another which features magnificent lochs and mountains.”

Nessie’s Climate Action Plan

VILN’s own sustainable goal for 2022 is to complete a climate action plan for the destination with help from VisitScotland and The Travel Foundation.

As part of the development of this climate action plan, Bryony has signed VILN up to the Glasgow Declaration, Tourism Declares a Climate Emergency, and now Climate Friendly Travel.

“At VILN we believe we can work with SUN^X Malta and their SDG partners to improve sustainability in our destination,” Bryony says.

Fortunately for Bryony and her team their initiatives have received the seal of approval from Inverness’ most famous resident.

“Nessie has entrusted VILN to look after her. In doing so Nessie has asked us to commit to five SDGs this year,” Bryony says.

These include partnering with One with Trees for Life to offset its carbon emissions, through planting trees for every one tonne of carbon produced.

“We’re also creating new woodland to increase biodiversity on the banks of Loch Ness with the Highland Nature Restoration Fund,” Bryony adds.

However, perhaps the most important SDG to Nessie is #14, Life Below Water.

“We want to protect our coastal and freshwater assets, we have so many from the Moray Firth to the Caledonian Canal, but the most important is Nessie’s home Loch Ness,” says Bryony.

Nessie SEYS Climate Friendly Travel

Professor Lipman confirms that Nessie has been invited to take part in the 2^nd Strong Earth Youth Summit (SEYS) on 29 April, which is part of the week long Strong Climate Friendly Travel Festival, in memory of Maurice Strong the pioneer of global sustainable development and the inspiration for SUN^x – Strong Universal Network.

“We have invited Nessie to attend our second SEYS summit, and I am glad to say that she has kindly accepted our invitation. She will host a webinar, along with our special friend Dodo, whose climate resilience antics are now being shown to schoolkids in the animated cartoon series we are committed to promote.”

“Climate change is existential,” the President of SunX Malta added. “If we don’t do something about it now then more species such as Nessie are likely to be in danger of extinction.”

Earlier this year SunX Malta launched his own Dash 2 Zero which includes a seven-point CODE RED Action Plan.

Although Nessie was not available for comment, sources close to her have confirmed that Loch Ness’ longest-standing resident was, for some time, considering leaving her ancestral underwater home due to the increasing impacts of climate change.

Although she has received some lucrative offers from other destinations, she has been persuaded to stay in Inverness, largely due to its climate initiatives. Apparently, she is very much looking forward to the new forestland on her doorstep, inviting everyone to visit her, although she might not be available to meet them in person due to her somewhat reclusive state. She is looking forward to her week in the sun in Malta in April and teaming up with her old friend Dodo.

If you would like to follow Nessie’s lead and join SUNx Malta’s CFTR, please email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.