Paul Nursey, President and CEO of Destination Greater Victoria
VICTORIA – Building on our leadership in sustainable tourism, Destination Greater Victoria has launched its new Sustainability Advisory Committee. This committee is part of Destination Greater Victoria’s formal governance structure and reports into Destination Greater Victoria’s Transportation and Destination Management Committee.
As an organization we are inspired by private businesses in Greater Victoria who simultaneously achieve good business success with high environmental standards. Social, economic, and environmental sustainability are important values in the visitor economy. Destinations are attracting visitors that do not want to overburden the communities they visit.
The Sustainability Advisory Committee is a great way to translate these values into action. Greater Victoria is already a leader of sustainability and environmental innovation with regards to tourism. However, we recognize the need to continually improve.
The mandate of the Sustainability Advisory Committee is to provide advice and recommendations to the Board of Directors and Executive about environmental, social and cultural sustainability issues, developments and best practices for the organization, its members, the destination and the visitor economy.
The committee will research best practices, disseminate sustainability information, and promote sustainability initiatives. The Sustainability Advisory Committee is the official tourism industry interface with governments of all levels. It also provides a structure and a working group to interact collaboratively with Destination Greater Victoria management to advance mutual aims.
The Sustainability Advisory Committee will comprise members of the Transportation and Destination Management Committee as well as representatives of Destination Greater Victoria, its members, government, industry organizations, community organizations, and other stakeholders who have interest and experience in developing and promoting sustainability best practices for the destination and its tourism businesses.
Ultimately the aim of the Sustainability Advisory Committee is to raise collective standards, as well as work together to achieve world-leading accreditation and third-party measurement standards.
The formation of the Sustainability Advisory Committee builds on Destination Greater Victoria’s pre-existing work on sustainability, including establishment of the IMPACT Sustainability Travel and Tourism Conference, achieving carbon neutrality through Offsetters’ carbon offset program, donations to the South Vancouver Island Anglers’ Coalition Sooke Net Pen Project to enhance Chinook salmon stocks and sponsorship of Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada’s International Indigenous Tourism Conference. We look forward to continuing this great work.
Paul Nursey is the President and CEO of Destination Greater Victoria
