PAUL NURSEY
VICTORIA – Greater Victoria is known for its natural beauty. Preserving this setting for generations to come is a core value of our community. It is no surprise then that these values manifest in in Greater Victoria’s second-largest economic sector – its visitor economy.
From September 28-30, 2022, Greater Victoria hosted the Tourism Cares Meaningful Travel Summit. Tourism Cares is a US-based non-profit that advances the travel industry’s positive impact to help people and places thrive. They believe it’s in all our best interest to support the destinations on which tourism depends so that communities, travelers, and businesses can prosper. The Tourism Cares Meaningful Travel Summit brought 120 tourism professionals to Greater Victoria for three days of conversations on environmental, social, and economic sustainability.
Although conversations on sustainability are vitally important, the Tourism Cares Meaningful Travel Summit is more than meetings and presentations at the Victoria Conference Centre. It is an immersive experience. The conference program is designed for delegates to disperse across Greater Victoria and visit organizations making positive contributions in the Greater Victoria community, and in some cases volunteer their time with these local organizations. For example, Destination Greater Victoria member Eagle Wing Whale and Wildlife Tours hosted conference delegates for a half day experience on the Salish Sea. On board Eagle Wing’s vessels were representatives from the Songhees First Nation, who provided catering as well as storytellers from the Nation who added interpretive commentary regarding their traditional lands. Naturalists also educated passengers on the amazing biodiversity of the area.
Another experience was provided by the Peninsula Streams Society, who hosted conference delegates at nearby Tod Inlet. Volunteers with the Peninsula Streams Society assist in revitalizing the area to help with traditional food ecosystems. Volunteers from the Tourism Cares Meaningful Travel Summit assisted with the removal of invasive species and deposited crushed oyster shell hash on the intertidal areas of the shores of the estuary to regenerate shellfish habitat. At the Sandown Centre for Regenerative Agriculture, conference delegates learned about bringing the worlds of tourism and agriculture together. How can partners create an agritourism experience that is beneficial to all parties? Conference delegates also planted crops that will later be sold to the local community and restaurants.
Environmental sustainability is often the focus of discussions at a conference like the Tourism Cares Meaningful Travel Summit, but social and economic sustainability are important as well. As a legacy of the Summit, Tourism Cares will support Indigenous businesses in Canada with grant funding, provided by Tauck Ritzau Innovative Philanthropy. Tourism Cares’ impact grants focus on investing in the resilience of destinations through community-level tourism initiatives that create social and environmental impact. Total grant amount awarded will be approximately $30,000 CAD and up to three organizations will be chosen in two rounds: fall 2022 and early 2023.
Destination management and destination stewardship has become a core function of our organization. Examples include creating the IMPACT Sustainability Travel & Tourism Conference, establishing a Sustainability Committee within our governance framework and Destination Greater Victoria achieving a Carbon Neutral designation. The Tourism Cares Meaningful Travel Summit aligns with Destination Greater Victoria’s values of working collaboratively with stakeholders, including First Nations groups, and giving back to our community.
Paul Nursey is the President and CEO of Destination Greater Victoria
