Only a few countries, including Australia, New Zealand and Costa Rica, have gone as far as Canada in committing to independently audited, internationa

Rules to root out false green tourism claims

By Sarah Staples, For Canwest News ServiceMay 28, 2009

Many tourism operators in Canada claim to be "green," but a new accreditation program will make sure that they really are.

Photograph by: Handout photo, Kitsault Resort Ltd/HO Photo

A Canada-wide accreditation initiative to weed out tourism companies making dubious environmental claims is getting underway, the mirror to global efforts aimed at reining in an increasingly murky world of"green" tourism.

Thirty-six leaders of the country's nature-related tourism industry met in Toronto on Earth Day, April 22, to convene a new Canadian Sustainable Tourism Advisory Council, whose first order of business was to agree to minimum standards for"sustainable travel"devised last year by a similar international body, the Sustainable Tourism Stewardship Council.

Those criteria will form the backbone of a uniquely Canadian accreditation system for hotels, tourist attractions and related businesses to be finalized within the next 12 months, says Randy Williams, president and chief executive of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada.

Accredited "sustainable" businesses will be able to market themselves as respectful of local customs, culture and economies, and engaged in promoting a healthy environment.

And visitors to Canada will have the choice of sightseeing or buying items that they can be assured are green.

Only a few countries, including Australia, New Zealand and Costa Rica, have gone as far as Canada in committing to independently audited, internationally promoted accreditation, Williams says.

"We want a program that other countries will aspire to have," he says.

Peter Robinson, chief executive of the David Suzuki Foundation in Vancouver, advises those who want to travel responsibly to stick close to home, avoiding lengthy flights and other obvious contributors to global warming.

Or, offset air travel emissions by buying" Gold Standard" carbon credits for the length of a trip as calculated by brokers such as Montreal's Planetair, which flows funds from tourism into renewable energy projects.

"Green tourism would be packing up your knapsack and going to a local park, or paddling around your local oceans," he says. "It's such a beautiful country to see."

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