Sustainable Tourism
Sustainable Tourism Workshops
A series of workshops to carry forward the message of sustainable tourism and give the tourism industry the information it needs to make environmentally sustainable choices to ensure the sustainable development of the industry have been implemented. By taking the ideas and feedback provided during the Sustainable Tourism Conference, a workshop was designed responding your input.
This workshop was the first of several that the Fundy Biosphere Reserve will be planning throughout the upcoming months. This workshop took place on June 18th, 2009 at the Alma Activity Center. Here are the four projects that were launched during the workshop to various members of the tourism industry.
Certification, Signage, and Sustainability
More and more tourism businesses are voluntarily undergoing audits by certification programs that grant a seal of approval for demonstrated environmentally or socially sound practices. Not only do these labels serve as useful marketing tools, but they can motivate the industry to develop more environmentally-friendly products and services. They can also help consumers make more informed travel choices. The ultimate success of Sustainable Tourism rests on whether or not it is based on a trusted, reliable standard, and on the degree to which the industry and consumers demonstrate their support. Making tourism more sustainable requires careful planning at many levels and the participation of all potential stakeholders, particularly of local communities in and around destinations. The Fundy Biosphere Reserve will provide the opportunity for all stakeholders involved in the tourism industry to come together and establish a set of criteria that can be used to determine the sustainability of all tourism-related businesses in region.
Sustainable Tourism Research Initiative
Research initiatives and activities can play a vital role in ensuring the success of a grassroots initiative. Academic institutions, their researchers, staff and students can assist communities and local businesses by providing the information, tools, and resources required to answer the questions and do the work that these groups may not have the capacity to do. This work will not only produce high quality research, but enhance the educational experience of students, who can apply their knowledge to benefit the community.
The Fundy Biosphere Reserve wishes to support and facilitate a multidisciplinary network of research partners who have the capacity to support the Sustainable Tourism initiative. This initiative is a way to showcase the Fundy Biosphere Reserve as a living laboratory, promoting world-class research that supports the needs of local communities.
“Tastes of the Fundy Biosphere”
Eating locally produced food has gained popularity over the past few years as an environmental and community development initiative. Eating locally produced food, and in particular, buying food from local markets, cuts down dramatically on the transport of these goods from around world and therefore reduces the environmental impact of the food.
Furthermore, supporting local farmers keeps money in the community and helps communities develop.
For the tourism industry, being able to provide visitors with unique meals made from local ingredients adds to the overall experience of their trip. The Fundy Biosphere Reserve aims to help the tourism industry provide an authentic experience to their visitors by encouraging them to prepare traditional recipes made with locally produced ingredients. This initiative will not only have a positive impact for the tourism industry but for local producers and the community as a whole.
Culture & History Research Initiative
The communities within the Fundy Biosphere Reserve have a unique culture and history that has yet to be comprehensively documented. Many stories exist, each one with many different interpretations and some information is not known or readily available. In order to provide visitors with accurate and detailed information about our culture and heritage, to promote the best experience possible, an inventory of stories and information needs to be assembled. This exercise will not only benefit the tourism industry, but will be a valuable resource for the region and will serve as an educational tool for the community at large.
In addition, guest speakers were invited to attend and share their experiences with the members of the tourism industry.
Chris Aerni from the Rossmount Inn in St. Andrews
The goal of Mr. Aerni’s presentation was to provide education and information on purchasing local foods. Mr. Aerni’s presentation was complemented by using an example of his own accommodation in which he serves food taken from his own garden and other local establishments to fill his daily menu. Mr. Aerni pointed out several advantages to using locally grown food in your establishment; whether it may be directed towards the community, your staff, local farmers and fishermen or the tourism industry. He also touched upon the globalization of food versus buying local. Finally, he also pointed out that eating and serving locally grown food is not only a way to connect and give back to the community; it is also a way to conserve our heritage, culture and environment.
Bouctouche's Lessons Learned by Rachelle Collette
Rachelle Collette shared her experience in building sustainable tourism in the coastal community of Bouctouche. She spoke of strengths, weaknesses and of challenges that needed to be overcome in order to reach their goal. The 3 key aspects they needed were leadership – creating a real vision and a realistic approach, resources – leveraging co-ordination and cooperation and finally action – a focused approach results in goals being achieved.
Conference
Sustainable Tourism has been a key project for the FBR as tourism is a major industry in the area, and enhancing the industry to make it both economically and environmentally sustainable fits well with the mission of the FBR. The goal of the conference was to serve as a meeting place for representatives of the government, both provincial and municipal, as well as tourism operators and other organizations to learn about the idea of sustainable tourism and discuss how the idea can become practice within the Biosphere region.
Experts from around the region, and other parts of Canada, were identified and asked to give presentations at the conference. Most notably Gary Clarke, from the Frontenac Arch Biosphere Reserve in Ontario, confirmed his attendance and willingness to participate. He is known as the father of Sustainable Tourism in Canada and has been very active in his region promoting the grassroots initiative of Sustainable Tourism. Presentations from the New Brunswick Department of Tourism and Parks officials, including a keynote speech from the Minister, as well as from academics and municipal and tourism representatives were also incorporated into the schedule.
The Sustainable Tourism Conference was a success, not only for the Fundy Biosphere Reserve but for the tourism industry in the area. The idea of Sustainable Tourism was embraced by the participants as a necessary step in economic development of the region. The conference resulted in the formation of new networks, ideas, and projects.
For more information on sustainable tourism, click here
