WASHINGTON, D.C.—Leaders in sustainable tourism from across North America and beyond will meet in Vancouver, British Columbia, October 27-29, 2008 at the Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism Conference 2008 (ESTC 2008), The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) announced. Hosted by the British Columbia Ministry of Tourism, Sport and the Arts, the BC Sustainable Tourism Collective and the Council of Tourism Associations of British Columbia, the conference will provide opportunities to gain knowledge of the latest trends in ecotourism and sustainable tourism, learn practical skills, and participate in invaluable networking and knowledge sharing.
The ESTC 2008 will be held at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, and will also include pre-conference trips to both Whistler and Victoria, B.C.’s capital city.
“We are pleased to be hosting the Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism Conference in 2008,” said Stan Hagen, B.C. Minister of Tourism, Sport and the Arts. “As a key economic driver for the province, tourism and more importantly sustainable tourism will play an influential role in how we reach our recently mandated goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 33 percent by 2020. This is the most aggressive target for any destination in North America.”
This is the third conference by TIES focusing on sustainability in travel and tourism in North America. In 2005, TIES hosted the first Ecotourism in the U.S. Conference, followed by this year’s North American Ecotourism Conference (NAEC) in Madison, Wisconsin, which brought together sustainable tourism professionals and businesses from
across the United States and Canada.
Through the development of these two historic conferences, TIES has witnessed significant growth of the sustainable tourism community in the United States and Canada. Recognizing the importance of this movement for the region’s tourism industry as a whole, TIES is holding the ESTC yearly to expand the network of industry practitioners and experts and to encourage greater awareness and implementation of the principles of ecotourism and sustainability.
Strong Partnerships Established
“TIES is thrilled to partner with the B.C. Ministry of Tourism, Sport and the Arts, which is generously sponsoring the ESTC 2008, and to collaborate with the BC Sustainable Tourism Collective during a time when we are seeing the sustainable tourism industry experience unprecedented growth around the world,” says Kelly Bricker, TIES’ executive director.
As the conference name indicates, the annual conference will not only provide sustainable solutions for tourism businesses, it will also highlight innovative sustainable practices and case studies in the United States and Canada, and discuss effective ways to utilize the sustainable tourism community’s experience and expertise to tackle some of the critical issues and key challenges facing the industry today, including: climate change, sustainable business practices, wildlife conservation, community partnerships and innovative technologies for greening the tourism industry.
With British Colombia preparing to welcome the 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games to Vancouver and Whistler, the timing of bringing this conference to Canada is ideal. A recent study conducted by TNS Canadian Facts, a market and opinion research firm, reported that nearly two-thirds of Canadian travelers say they are concerned about global warming, as well as the loss of natural habitats and ecosystems. The study also found that 83 percent of Canadian travelers agree that sustainable tourism practices would have a positive effect on the world’s future and that many Canadian travelers
would take personal action including switching from a preferred holiday destination to another that supported sustainable tourism.
TIES has launched the ESTC 2008 conference website—www.ecotourismconference.org—through which updates on the conference program will be announced in the coming months.
