A Place That Cares: sustainable tourism in the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley

People come for the trees, the rivers and the quiet. They come back because of the people who look after them. This is how local businesses are keeping it that way and how yours can join in.

Three minutes on what makes this place worth protecting, and the six goals we've chosen to help do it.

What sustainable tourism looks like here

Across the Forest of Dean and the Wye Valley, businesses are already doing the quiet work: buying from the farm down the lane, fitting the solar panels, giving someone their first job, or simply leaving some water out for the birds or hedgehogs when it’s hot.

Most of them never called it sustainability. They called it common sense, or good manners, or simply not wanting to make a mess of somewhere they love.

This hub collects those stories and turns them into practical next steps, whether you run a B&B in Blakeney, a café in Coleford, canoe hire at Symonds Yat or an orchard near Newent. Every business here has a part to play.

At a glance

• Who: Visit Dean Wye, the destination marketing organisation for the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley, and its partner businesses on both sides of the England and Wales border.
• What: six of the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals, chosen by partner businesses in 2026.
• For whom: any tourism or hospitality business in the area, from a village shop to a hotel.
• How to take part: pick one goal, take one step, tell us about it.

The six UN Sustainable Development Goals our partners champion

In 2025, our partner businesses chose to champion six of the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals - a global framework for a fairer, greener future, applied here at the scale of a village shop.

You don't need to master the framework. Pick one goal, take one step, and tell us about it.

• No Poverty - keeping money, jobs and opportunity local
• Affordable and Clean Energy - smaller bills, lower carbon
• Decent Work and Economic Growth - good jobs where people can thrive
• Responsible Consumption - using less, wasting less, buying local
• Life Below Water - caring for our rivers, from the Monnow and Wye to the Severn
• Life on Land - making room for wildlife on every patch of ground

Choose your goal

Take one step. You're not doing it alone.

Planning a visit?

Every stay, meal and day out with a Visit Dean Wye partner supports the businesses doing this work. Start here.

• Places to stay
• Things to do
• Food and drink
• The full business directory