Wicked Tours has a reputation for offering some of the best wine tours across the Okanagan Valley. They have recently been reassessed by GreenStep, to achieve Sustainable Tourism GOLD Certified. We recently caught up with owner Nicholas Wilson to learn more about how Wicked Tours is taking action to become a more sustainable business.
Tell us a bit about your business. What makes you different?
We are an exceptional TOUR company, not a transportation company! Our team is passionate about where they live, providing guests with fascinating stories and knowledge of the Okanagan. Offering more than wine tours, we also offer craft beer tours, food tours and one of Canada’s first cannabis tours.
Why is sustainability important to you/your business?
As a tour company our primary business is wine tours, and wineries are intrinsically agricultural. We have a responsibility to ensure ecological balance to support our partners – being a socially responsible business is just the right thing to do.
Why did you join Sustainable Tourism?
To improve by learning from, and helping peers on ways we can improve sustainability and lessen our ecological impact. It’s really that simple!
What sustainability related projects, policies or initiatives do you most want travelers to know about?
Our entire operation is digital and paper-free! Tour Guides use smartphones for all guest activities, and our offices do not have a printer or a filing cabinet! We also work hard to ensure that guests on our tours understand our sustainability values and respect the local culture and environment of the locations that we visit.
What are some goals and/or actions you plan to take in the future to further increase the sustainability of your business?
We are now measuring and actively reducing our carbon footprint from fleet emissions, and will look for opportunities to source more sustainable products in our purchasing policy. Our company is also looking to include more information about the local indigenous cultures and incorporate educational information for our guests.
See more of Wicked Tours over on their website — wicked.tours