by Todd Lucier on February 9, 2010
“It’s the economic impact, stupid.”
We do a pretty poor job highlighting the economic impact and the role a healthy tourism industry plays for everyone. In our region, a recent study highlighted that it’s not the hotels, restaurants and attractions that get the biggest bang from enhanced tourism visitation (though this is who everyone thinks should be paying for it!)
Indeed the biggest economic benefets from increased tourism in our region are felt by:
- banks
- real estate agents (and lawyers)
- gas stations
We need to open the door to inviting more community partners to help promote regional tourism development. And we have to do a better job of informing government of the economic benefits of tourism. In the US, Washington State has done a great job of that with a Web site directed to the cause: http://www.whytourismmatters.com/
We need such a site for each provincial DMO in Canada, to ensure Tourism isn’t looked at as a second tier concern come budget time. Just because we’ve been continually underfunded is no reason that it should continue to be so.
by Celes Davar on January 27, 2010
As tourism operators, we often are not equipped with the tools that help us to understand how sustainable our businesses are, pr how to measure sustainability and where to look for shining examples of sustainability.
I have a really great suggestions for you, if you would like to be a leader and position your company as a leader in sustainability. Dave Butler, Director of Sustainability at Canadian Mountain Holidays has just released their most recent report on corporate sustainability, in their 2009-2010 overview and report entitled Moving Towards Sustainability. Using Global Reporting Indicators (GRI’s), they summarize their vision and how they are measuring their progress using GRI’s. Companies such as Apple, Coca Cola and Unilever are using these standards. However, very few tourism companies appear to be using them.
I would like to invite you to go to their website Stewardship at Canadian Mountain Holidays and take a deep breath before plunging into exploring a very simple and succinct summary of CMH’s bold vision - to be the leading sustainable tourism company in North America. Their commitment to tourism transparency is evident. You will find their vision, their recent sustainability reports (available for download), and a summary of their Second Nature program. Download either their Overview or the complete report for 2009 – 2010.
Hats off to you Dave and the entire team at CMH! Canada leads the way through such innovations in engaging sustainability as a core component of tourism.
