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How this holiday makes a difference

Community
The company is a strong proponent of supporting and helping to develop tourism initiatives in remote communities. In these areas, we are cognizant of the need to maintain a balance between promoting tourism product and growth management planning to protect the environment. This dynamic is more crucial when First Nation communities are involved, as many communities do not have the experience, resources or infrastructure to manage growth. Despite the fact that we limit our groups to eight guests, this alone is not sufficient in the absence of local economic planning and ownership of tourism resources.

The three areas we travel to all possess community-based eco-cultural tourism ventures that are owned and operated by First Nation peoples. This facilitates their ability to retain tourism-related income which generates employment and human resource development. The profits from operations fuel community capacity building and environmental protection.

In Tofino, we work with a First Nations cultural adventure for our bear watching experience and wild salmon feast. This business operates within the territory of the Tla-o-qui-aht people, who are part of the Nuu-chah-nulth language group. The company is First Nations owned and operated. In Alert Bay, guests stay in a largely First Nation community in the land of the Kwakwaka'wakw people. First Nations owned shops sell locally produced art; in fact, the designer of the 2010 Winter Olympic medals is Alert Bay First Nations. The U’Mista Cultural Centre, whose mandate is to ensure the survival of all aspects of the cultural heritage of the Kwakwaka'wakw, features a reclaimed potlatch collection of masks. The ‘Namgis people and the Village of Alert Bay participate in a co-governance model, whereby each body shares infrastructural costs and human resources to provide services utilized by native and non-native island residents. In Klemtu, the Kitasoo/Xai'xais people own the lodge and manage tourism in the community. They have also taken extraordinary steps to protect the unique and sensitive eco-systems and wildlife that make up one of the most bio-diverse places on the planet.

Environment
All companies we work with, whether they be native or non-native, have environmental practices in place to manage waste, view wildlife and maintain a low carbon footprint. In Klemtu, the Kitasoo/Xai'xais work with conservation groups such Valhalla Wilderness Society, Raincoast Conservation Fund, and Greenpeace to protect the unique and sensitive eco-systems and wildlife that make up one of the most bio-diverse places on the planet.

Their initiatives include developing the Kitasoo Spirit Bear Conservancy – protection of 103,000 hectares on Princess Royal Island, assisted to develop nine other conservancies totaling 212,415 hectares and are instrumental in the negotiations to protect the Great Bear Rainforest, the largest remaining, intact temperate rainforest in the world. They also participate in the BC Parks Fjordland Conservancy, a co-managed conservation area with the Province of BC and the Kitasoo/Xai’xais First Nation and in the Coastal Guardian Program, an initiative developed to monitor the Kitasoo/Xai’xais traditional lands and waters to ensure all visitors are treating the land with respect.

The company supports local conservation initiatives to protect the habitat of the Spirit bear. To this end, we donate $50 from every seat sold to the Valhalla Wilderness Society. The company’s environmental and educational practices also include adhering to 'bear aware' practices while in the bush, discouraging plastic water bottles and encouraging our guests to bring their own travel mugs, practicing 'no trace touring' wherever we hike and soliciting and acting upon client comments as how to improve our sustainable tourism practices.

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