Green tourism model for Canada

Green Tourism Certification Program to be tried out on 24 Canadian operators.

The pioneering scheme to promote environmental tourism which started in Scotland has been adopted as the model for a similar sustainable certification programme in Canada.

The Green Tourism Certification Program developed by Perth based Green Business Ltd is to be tried out on 24 operators and the feedback used to tailor a scheme which can be rolled out to more than 18,000 businesses and across Canada.

The GTBS, which was launched in conjunction with VisitScotland in 1997, is now the biggest independent accreditation body of its kind in the world having carried out independent assessments on more than 3,500 businesses across every region of the UK.

In the last two years the scheme’s unique approach has been used as the inspiration for similar schemes in New Zealand, Sweden and Eire.

ETHOS, British Columbia’s sustainable tourism network, is the latest overseas organisation to follow the GTBS lead and signed a contract with Green Business UK Ltd as the sole license holder in Canada to develop, administer, and implement a National Sustainable Tourism Certification Program formulated and driven by the principles of the GTBS.

“This will be the first sustainability certification programme designed for all sectors of the tourism industry in Canada,” said Kevin Krueger, Canada’s Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts
“It shows real leadership in the further development of the sustainable tourism sector and we are proud to be a partner in this innovative new programme and confident it will help keep British Columbia at the forefront of sustainable tourism initiatives.”

The GTBS scheme provides consumers with an independent guide to hotels, bed & breakfasts, tourist attractions and visitor centres which are actively trying to help the environment.

Members are awarded a bronze, silver or gold grade based on more than 145 criteria, including the installation of efficient lighting and heating, the promotion of nature conservation, use of renewable energy, use of local produce and community involvement.

Independent family businesses and multi-national hotel chains operating in the UK are all graded in the same way with members reporting savings of up to more than £1million a year on energy and consumable costs.

“We are really absolutely thrilled to be working with Ethos on this project as they have the same aims and ideals as we do to help business adopt green practices” said Andrea Nicholas, Director of the GTBS.

“This project has been in development for a while and we are so pleased that the pilot has now started.  Two senior GTBS assessors arrived in Vancouver last week and will be assessing Canadian businesses over the next three weeks in order to develop green tourism criteria for Canada”

“Almost 6,000 businesses around the world are now either members of GTBS or associated schemes based upon our criteria, principles and/or methodology.

 “Canada’s adoption of our scheme illustrates perfectly how the GTBS model, with its rigorous independent assessment process and advisory nature, can be adapted for any country”.

Valere Tjolle

Valere Tjolle is editor of the Sustainable Tourism Report Suite, special offer at: www.travelmole.com/stories/1142003.php