Newsletter, June 2021

June updates from GreenStep Sustainable Tourism:

Welcoming New & Returning Members

PLATINUM
Tourism Kelowna – Kelowna, BC
Siwash Lake Wilderness Resort – Thompson-Nicola E, BC

GOLD
A View to Remember – Kelowna, BC
Wickaninnish Inn – Tofino, BC

SILVER
The Suites Red Deer – Red Deer County, AB

BRONZE
Grande Cache Inn & Suites – Grande Cache, AB

AWAITING GRADING
Canmore Inn & Suites – Canmore, AB
Canmore Rocky Mountain Inn – Canmore, AB
Copper Point Resort – Invermere, BC
Invermere Inn & Suites – Invermere, BC
Sunwolf Riverside Cabins & Fergie’s Cafe – Squamish, BC
Terracana Ranch & Resort – Fraser-Fort George, BC
Wicked Wine Tours – Kelowna, BC

Take the Sustainable Tourism 2030 Pledge

The Sustainable Tourism 2030 Pledge is our newest initiative that encourages tourism businesses and destinations across Canada, and globally, to commit to measuring and improving their sustainability performance each year between now and 2030.

The Sustainable Tourism 2030 Pledge offers a free online assessment and sustainability score, helping tourism businesses and destinations self-assess on a broad range of sustainability criteria. This creates a common framework and benchmark from which tourism businesses and destinations can create action plans to make ongoing improvements in the areas of economic, social, cultural, natural and environmental sustainability.

By taking the pledge, tourism businesses and destinations will commit to doing two things: measuring their sustainability score annually using the online assessment, and then making a public commitment and goal to improve their score by 2030.

Newest Pledge Signatories
Tourism Businesses
Echo Valley Ranch & Spa
Siwash Lake Wilderness Resort

Tourism Destinations
Kootenay Rockies Tourism

Value-Based Marketing – How to attract guests through sustainability

By Angela Nagy, CEO

As we begin to reopen our provincial borders to domestic visitors over the late spring and summer, many tourism businesses will be focusing their marketing efforts on meeting the pent-up demand for leisure travel. Not only are Canadian travellers eager, they are part of a growing international shift in consumer demand for more responsible business, where consumers are considering values-alignment in their purchasing decisions…[continue reading here]

 

Sustainable Tourism News

Member Feature – 40 Knots Winery

Located in beautiful Comox, BC on Vancouver Island, 40 Knots Winery embraces their unique microclimate on the slopes of their vineyard that faces the Georgia Straight. They were recently re-assessed, and achieved our highest grading to become Sustainable Tourism Platinum Certified. Read more about 40 Knots Winery over on our member spotlight blog post.

Celebrating our Sustainable Tourism members for Tourism Week

These Sustainable Tourism Certified businesses are leading the way to help guests enjoy a greener travel experience. For Tourism Week, we wanted to highlight our members and encourage Canadians to travel in Canada when it is safe to do so. Have a look through each blog post and learn more about who is making sustainability a priority in your region!

Ontario
Alberta
British Columbia – Accommodations
British Columbia – Tour Operators & Wineries

Resources

Free Sustainability Lens Assessments offered to Northern BC Tourism & Kootenay Rockies Tourism stakeholders

Northern BC Tourism & Kootenay Rockies Tourism Associations are offering their stakeholders free sustainability lens assessments (value $99), to help businesses and DMOs measure their sustainability performance. Once online self-assessments are completed, stakeholders will receive a full sustainability scorecard report together with customized action items based on their results. For information on how to sign up in each of these regions, see below:

Northern BC
Stakeholders in this region who wish to access their free sustainability lens assessment should complete this intake form.

Kootenay Rockies
Stakeholders in this region who wish to access their free sustainability lens assessment, should complete this intake form.

Virtual Upcoming Events

Indigenous Tourism BC hosting free virtual workshops

Indigenous Tourism BC (ITBC) is hosting a series of free virtual workshops in partnership with Destination BC to celebrate National Indigenous History Month (June) and National Indigenous Peoples Day (June 21). The workshops aim to promote local Indigenous-owned businesses and highlight the many ways tourism supports the revitalization of Indigenous cultures. Browse the workshops below and click to reserve your spot:

• A Tasting of Indigenous Cultures (June 15 at 2pm PST)
• Celebrating Living Indigenous Arts & Culture (June 17 at 2pm PST)
• Honouring Wellness (June 22 at 2pm PST)

Now, into the Future: Cultural Tourism in Ontario

This free symposium will provide thoughtful discussion, examples of how cultural tourism has changed amid the pandemic, inspiration and actionable information as we prepare for what cultural tourism experiences will be like as people resume local, regional, national, and international travel.

Wednesday, June 16 from 2pm – 5pm EST
Thursday, June 17 from 9:30am – 12:30pm EST
Register here