PAUL NURSEY
VICTORIA – Visitation to Greater Victoria has returned to healthy levels this spring. Part of the reason people are travelling to our destination in higher numbers than 2021 is the return of meetings, events, and conferences at the Victoria Conference Centre.
Destination Greater Victoria is responsible for sales and marketing of the Victoria Conference Centre. It also owns and operates popular and signature events. Corporate travellers represent an important segment for our destination. Under COVID-19 pandemic restrictions meetings, events, and conferences faced capacity limitations. Many in-person conferences became virtual conferences, and some were simply postponed until pandemic restrictions were eased.
One such conference was the IMPACT Sustainability Travel & Tourism Conference (IMPACT). Established five years ago by Destination Greater Victoria and local partners Synergy Enterprises, Starrboard Enterprises and Tartan Bond, IMPACT has grown into the pre-eminent sustainable tourism conference in the world.
This year’s program featured industry leaders for three days of presentations and conversations on such topics as regenerative travel, biodiversity, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. Approximately 250 delegates left IMPACT with a greater sense of tourism’s impact on the environment and world around us, but also with solutions to incorporate into their organization’s activities and operations.
The highlight for Destination Greater Victoria was signing a letter of commitment for Biosphere Certification. Biosphere Certification is granted by the Responsible Tourism Institute on completion of a rigorous and collaborative program of sustainability assessment and initiatives, including alignment with the 17 United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). By requiring fulfillment of a series of sustainability requirements, the process of achieving the globally-recognized Biosphere Certification informs and supports destination marketing and management organizations in developing more sustainable products and services to meet the current needs of customers without compromising future generations.
It is a firm commitment to move towards the principles of environmental sustainability, cultural diversity, equity, and social responsibility. Pursuing a Biosphere Certificate also builds on previous Destination Greater Victoria sustainability initiatives, such as establishing a Sustainability Advisory Committee within Destination Greater Victoria’s governance framework and designation of the organization as “Carbon Neutral” by leading carbon management solutions company Offsetters.
As the visitor economy continues down the path of recovery, it is important we rebuild our industry the right way. Incorporating values such as sustainability into our practices means our industry is aligned with our community’s values. IMPACT was an amazing success, and we are looking forward to the next IMPACT conference in January.
Paul Nursey is the President and CEO of Destination Greater Victoria
