THE NEW Forest has been s named the greenest car-free destination in the UK.

The award was given by the Green Tourism Business Scheme (GTBS) which presented the National Park with three gold and five silver awards in assessments held this month.

Andrea Nicolas, managing director of GTBS said: "It is quite extraordinary for a destination to get such outstanding awards first time."

During the awards presentation Andrea highlighted three things that made the New Forest unique as a destination including that no other destination in the UK worked so hard to give visitors environmentally-friendly holidays that are fun, exciting and have a low impact on the environment. Similarly no other UK destinations in the UK offer visitors such a wide range of options and incentives to reduce their carbon impact and go car free.

It was also named as the only place in the UK where accommodation providers and local government work have worked together for so long (20 years), to reduce the overall negative impact of tourism on the environment and local way of life.

Christina Simons, owner of the Gold award winning Cottage Lodge and chairman of the New Forest tourism association's hotels group, said: "These awards are a reflection of the efforts by New Forest accommodation providers to reduce impacts on the environment through sustainable tourism practices.

"Improving quality standards, enhancing image and operational efficiencies are vital to all New Forest tourism businesses. We are delighted to receive this recognition from the Green Tourism Business Scheme."

The New Forest Tourism Association (NFTA) was formed in 1989 to work in partnership with New Forest District Council to preserve and protect the beauty of the area and ensure that visitors understand the special nature of the region.

Some of the incentives the partnership uses to encourage tourists to leave their cars at home include selected hotels offering a ten per cent room rate reduction, free afternoon tea and free bike hire.