The COVID-19 pandemic has forever changed how we as a society look at the world. We have become more acutely aware of how our actions impact the world, and each other, and this can be seen very clearly in our approach to the environment.
When the world shut down, the travel and tourism industry was finally able to take a step back and assess its impact on the environment. The travel and tourism industry is a major contributor to the world’s carbon emissions, and overtourism negatively impacts the land, as well as the people who call that land home. In the midst of this, the United Nations released their 2030 Agenda, outlining 17 sustainable development goals that Canada has taken very seriously in regard to implementation, and ensuring that all targets are met. While this agenda does not only focus on travel and tourism, the industry is still mentioned several times, and is clearly an industry that requires a major overhaul in the face of the global climate crisis.
Current State
Canada is currently recognized as a leader in sustainable tourism. A recent report has stated that Canada has 20 destinations participating in the Global Destinations Sustainability Index, the highest concentration of GDS-Index destinations globally. This means that these destinations are dedicated to ensuring that their carbon footprint is reduced to zero, while still enriching the cultural identity of the neighbourhood that they work out of. Canada is also working towards partnering with organizations within the country to ensure that sustainable goals are being met, and that Canada can continue to act as the blueprint for other nations on how to ensure that the environment is being respected, while also bringing the travel and tourism industry back to the success that it was seeing prior to the pandemic.
Regenerative Tourism
Some climate activists and experts, however, are warning that being sustainable is not enough, and we are well past the point of just needing to accept “sustainable” as the benchmark for success. This brings us to the concept of regenerative tourism. Regenerative tourism focuses on community rather than numbers and profits. Regenerative tourism hopes to heal damaged resources and tell the story of the land, getting visitors involved in the local culture and in restoration initiatives, something that has proven to be successful.
Part of the reason for why this new tactic is proving to be successful is due to the increased interest in regenerative and sustainable travel options among tourists. More and more people are choosing environmentally conscious options for their travels, and this has led to significant and measurable growth within the regenerative tourism industry. The leaders in this movement, are associations and organizations involved in Indigenous Tourism
Indigenous Tourism
When local governments partner with Indigenous Tourism organizations, they bring to the forefront reconciliation and regeneration. They allow Indigenous communities to take back the narrative of their lands and allow people to explore and understand the environment in a culturally respectful way. Many tourists, particularly from Canada and the United States, have been seeking out this kind of tourism, and Indigenous Tourism organizations who are especially close to large cities are being met with overwhelming demand for their services, and this is an industry that will continue to grow.
It puts money back into the economy and supports cultures that were devastated by the effects of colonization. This initiative, however, needs to be taken on by everyone. Organizations that are not close to big cities are not as able to share in the success of other businesses, and those who are seeing success are often struggling to onboard qualified individuals to keep up with the demand.
Nest Steps
Looking back to the sustainable development goals, Canada needs to be investing far more into dealing with major weather events and catastrophes, as these are what are impacting Indigenous Tourism organizations and putting their operations in jeopardy. With the effects of things like wildfires, comes not only risk and danger to the health and wellbeing of participants, but also cancellations of tours. In short, yes, Canada is more than capable of keeping up its momentum as a leader in sustainable tourism. However, more focus needs to be placed on the words and warnings of the Indigenous people at the forefront of the regenerative tourism movement. There needs to be more focus on weather events, not only in terms of dealing with them when they happen, but also in terms of preventing them before they can take place.
The Canadian government also needs to partner more extensively with Indigenous organizations in Tourism. When investment is made into these communities, not only can they thrive, but the travel and tourism industry can thrive as well.
Lauren Schwartz | Contributing Writer
