British Columbia family holiday, Canada
How this holiday makes a difference
Environment
Our goal is to ensure that the business we bring to remote communities is a positive experience for local people, tourism companies and tourists themselves. As a company that specializes in off-the-beaten path experiences in western and northern Canada, we know that the environment, economy and culture of the areas we visit are particularly vulnerable to damage. Small group tourism in isolated areas can be more devastating than mainstream beach-or city-based tourism, which has a higher resiliency to absorb growth. Our vigilance in promoting and practicing sustainability of our tours in Canada extends to educating clients, training our guides, and the calibre of our suppliers.
As examples, our bear viewing practices avoid interrupting the bear's natural traffic patterns and eating habits. Our whale watching practices conform to "Be Whale Wise" guidelines established by Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Overall, all operators we work with live in nearby communities and depend on the sustainability of a healthy and confident wildlife population for their livelihood. We utilize only local, licensed operators who have proven track records of client safety, keep respectful viewing distances and use environmentally friendly practices.
The company’s environmental and educational practices 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
- Soliciting and acting upon client comments as how to improve our sustainable tourism practices.
Our pre-departure information is tailored to the specific destinations we travel to. Each document contains information on travelling responsibly and social and environmental issues in the particular area. The company supports the Western Canada Wilderness Committee, whose mission is to protect Canada’s bio-diversity through strategic research and grassroots public education. The company is also a member of the BC Wilderness Tourism Association, which exists to ensure the ongoing viability of the nature-based tourism industry through the protection of the wilderness tourism land base. In the office we use recycled tissue and environmentally friendly cleaning products. Our office staff are provided with a secure place to store their bicycles and encouraged to car pool.
Community
The company is a strong proponent of supporting and helping to develop tourism initiatives in the remote communities we travel to. In these areas we utilise local outfitters, stay in small scale, locally owned accommodation and frequent local shops for meals, supplies and crafts. However, we are cognizant of the need to maintain a balance between promoting our tourism product and the growth management planning needed in response to even the little tourism we comparatively bring to these communities.
As an example, despite the fact that we limit our groups to eight guests (which is the lowest regular guest count of any tour operator in BC), this is alone is not sufficient. Company owners work directly with suppliers in these communities to assist them to refine their product to meet export ready criteria, improve their risk management procedures and better target their marketing efforts. And, as our small groups allow for easier interaction with locals, this cultural exchange benefits everyone.
Three of the four areas we travel to (excluding Whistler) on this tour offer mainly locally owned, community-based tourism ventures. As an example, when its pulp mill closed in 1998, Gold River’s focus turned to rebuilding and attracting more tourists to this recreational paradise. We are proud to be part of this process as the business we bring to this community facilitates its ability to retain tourism-related income which generates employment and human resource development. This development strengthens the community’s ability for community capacity building and environmental protection. Later, many of our customers independently return to these far flung areas.
1of10
