Sunshine Coast Tourism is joining other organizations such as Ottawa Tourism and Destination Sherbrooke in signing onto the Sustainability Tourism 2030 pledge.
As part of its public announcement promising to improve its sustainability performance, Sunshine Coast Tourism committed to:
- "Continuing the ‘Sustainable Sunshine Coast’ initiative to educate visitors on how to reduce their footprint and support activities that are low-impact and regenerative
- Supporting local entrepreneurs and the community by developing a sustainable purchasing policy
- Supporting local active transportation infrastructure development to reduce carbon emissions
- Offering educational opportunities for the local tourism industry on measuring and improving sustainability performance
- Enhancing cultural awareness and acknowledgement of Indigenous Peoples and the First Nation communities of the Sunshine Coast amongst our staff, industry, and visitors to the destination
- Achieving sustainability certification of our brick-and-mortar Visitor Centres and maintaining/improving performance thereafter."
The pledge website describes the pledge as "a global movement of individuals, businesses, and organizations within the tourism and hospitality industry that believe tourism has a tremendous opportunity to become a force for good and change the world." The sustainability consulting firm GreenStep, with the Tourism Industry Association of Canada, created the pledge to help tourism organizations and destinations measure and improve their sustainability performance, said the site.
“Sustainability has long been a priority in our region, along with responsible travel and tourism practices that consider and reduce environmental impacts,” said Sunshine Coast Tourism executive director, Annie Wise, in a press release. “Taking the Sustainable Tourism 2030 Pledge is an exciting move to expand on our current initiatives on the Sunshine Coast and build on our reputation as a sustainable destination of choice.”
There are 50 signatories listed on the pledge website.
"We encourage our partners and stakeholders to join us in this movement," said Sunshine Coast Tourism's press release.
