Vancouver, BC, July 12, 2010 - British
Columbia's tourism leaders gathered in Vancouver recently as Kevin
Krueger, Minister of Tourism, Culture, and the Arts and John Yap,
Minister of State for Climate Action, announced BC's role in
piloting a nation-wide sustainable tourism certification program
and unveiled new tools to support greater sustainable development
in the tourism industry.
Minister Krueger announced that British Columbia, with the
support of ETHOS ( British Columbia's sustainable tourism
network) was chosen by the Canadian Sustainable Tourism Advisory
Council (CSTAC)to lead a pilot for a nation-wide sustainable
tourism certification program.
Defined internationally as a best practice, leading sustainable
tourism destinations around the world have built consumer
confidence through making certification programs available to local
operators.
Starting in July, twenty-four tourism operators across BC's six
tourism regions will go through a full assessment of the Green
Tourism Certification Program developed by UK based Green
Business Ltd. The feedback provided by these BC based
tourism operators will create the performance indicators for the
Canadian version of this program.
"This will be the first sustainability certification program
designed for all sectors of the tourism industry in Canada," said
Krueger. "It shows real leadership in the further
development of the sustainable tourism sector and we are
proud to be a partner in this innovative new program and confident
it will help keep British Columbia at the forefront of
sustainable tourism initiatives."
Following the announcement of this groundbreaking certification
program, Minister Yap unveiled two new sustainability tools for
tourism operators. Available immediately is the ETHOS Travel Offset Calculator tool. Minister Yap
demonstrated how this easy to use web-based tool enables visitors
to offset their travel carbon footprint and encourages them to use
offsetting as a regular part of their booking process.
Offsets purchased through the online calculator, a free tool for
ETHOS members to place on their websites, are provided by Pacific
Carbon Trust.
"There is a growing awareness of the
linkages between how we work, travel and vacation and our carbon
footprint." John Yap, Minister of State for Climate
Action
"There is a growing awareness of the linkages between how we
work, travel and vacation and our carbon footprint", said Yap.
"Tools like the ETHOS travel calculator build on that awareness,
give tourists an opportunity to offset their emissions and brand
B.C. as an eco-conscious tourism destination."
In addition to contributing to a low-carbon BC economy, the
calculator also presents an opportunity for operators to introduce
visitors to the leading role BC plays in addressing global climate
change.
Currently Tourism Vancouver is showcasing the ETHOS Travel
Offset Calculator on the homepage of their visitor website.
ETHOS expects to have over 100 operators from across British
Columbia using this value added tool by early 2011.
"Perhaps more than any other sector in BC, tourism offers a
unique opportunity for BC to spread the message of sustainability
to the world," said Pacific Carbon Trust CEO Scott MacDonald. "By
purchasing Pacific Carbon Trust offsets through the ETHOS Travel
Calculator, visitors will know they are investing in credible
made-in-BC emissions reduction projects that are leading to cleaner
and greener environment."
Minister Yap also presented Passion for Action's GOBI Carbon
Management Business Tool. Supported by ETHOS, and offered at
a discount to members, GobiSOFT is a comprehensive, web-based
system which enables organizations to easily measure, report and
manage their carbon footprint. GobiSOFT is based on
international standards, thorough research and published data
sources, making it one of the most credible and complete carbon
management systems on the market.
With the introduction of both tools and the certification
process, ETHOS now offers its members the opportunity to fully
participate in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, at both the
consumer and operational levels.
"Our goal today was to highlight the progress that has been made
for British Columbia to lead the way within Canada in sustainable
tourism development," said Paul Vallee, Chair of ETHOS and Vice
President of Tourism Vancouver.
"Our vision at ETHOS is a tourism industry in BC that is
healthy, vibrant and thriving, socially, culturally,
environmentally and economically. We think this first year of
operations shows there is a willingness to work collaboratively to
reach our sustainable development targets and put us on the world
stage as a sustainable tourism destination."
CSTAC, which represents tourism industry members across Canada,
collectively endorsed the decision to have BC based ETHOS take the
lead in developing and implementing the national certification
program.
"British Columbia has shown such insight in creating and
supporting a unique alliance of government, industry, and
non-government partners when it created ETHOS," says CSTAC Chair,
Randy Williams. "And as a member of CSTAC, ETHOS has been
instrumental in the Council's development of the Canadian
Sustainable Tourism Criteria , ensuring that it is directly aligned
with the Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria."
Today, tourism within BC attracts over 24 million visitors
annually and employs 131,000 people across 18,000 tourism
businesses.