In March, Greater Victoria on Canada’s Vancouver Island became the first urban destination in Canada or the U.S. to earn the Biosphere Certification. This certification, awarded by the Responsible Tourism Institute (RTI), is only given to destinations that demonstrate extreme commitment to principles of cultural diversity, environmental sustainability, equity and social responsibility.
“The landscape of the business events sector is evolving, and conferences and major events are increasingly seeking tangible evidence of a destination’s dedication to sustainability,” said Emma C. Parston, partner in the events specialty company Connect Seven Group. “Biosphere certification marks a significant achievement for Destination Greater Victoria, providing international recognition of ongoing efforts to enhance sustainability practices, as well as a strong foundation for a local sustainable supplier network to create and attract more sustainable events in and to the destination.”
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What is biosphere certification?
As RTI describes its program, a biosphere destination “ensures and guarantees the existence of a firm commitment to continuous improvement towards sustainability, competitiveness, quality and the fight against climate change, through the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations and the Guidelines of the Paris Climate Summit (COP21).” The organization assesses destinations by dividing the UN’s 17 sustainable development goals into five groups of goals: fight against climate change, protecting the environment, social, economy and culture.
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There’s a four-tier ranking system. The entry level is Committed, defined as “Entities committed to making sustainable efforts, which plan to adopt more responsible models by working on their action plan, but which have not yet been checked and verified with our guarantee.”
Next comes Certified. Once a tourist destination is certified through RTI, it can further enhance its commitment and green status by encouraging private companies in its geographical area to go greener. The reward for businesses? Their own sustainability seal as a Biosphere Committed Company. And, eventually, when enough private and public entities are working together to change the fabric of a place, the destination can climb to Gold Sustainable Certified or Platinum Sustainable Certified status.
Why Greater Victoria?
Greater Victoria encompasses the city of Victoria and other parts of southern Vancouver Island, namely the regions of Saanich, Westshore, Sooke and the Gulf Islands. Visitors come for the Canadian British feel of Victoria, with its tea shops and hanging flower baskets, and the outdoors recreation like boating and hiking through forests and along rugged coastlines. Plus, there’s lots of art, impressive restaurants and Indigenous culture. It’s a big tourist destination, with visitors contributing a whopping $2.3 billion annually to the local economy.
Destination Greater Victoria (DGV), the destination management organization, worked to balance tourism with sustainability. It cofounded the IMPACT Sustainability Travel & Tourism Conference, which attracts 300 delegates from North America and around the world to discuss positive tourism development across Canada. IMPACT is held annually in the Victoria Conference Centre, a carbon neutral facility. At least 12 of DGV’s member businesses are already participating in the Biosphere program. DGV aims to have 60 member businesses Biosphere committed or certified by the end of 2023.
This isn’t DGV’s first accolade. In 2021, it became the first major North American destination to be certified carbon neutral. And in 2022, it was rated as climate positive. DGV supports the Great Bear Rainforest Project, which conserves the enormous coastal temperate rainforest, through its carbon management efforts. It’s also donating an EV charging station to the city of Victoria.
What does biosphere certification mean for city residents and visitors?
As more individual travelers and, especially, meeting planners factor sustainability into their travel decisions, this new certification could be tremendously valuable.
“The relationship between tourism, visitors and local residents is an important one,” said Paul Nursey, CEO of DGV. “The tourism sector is a massive economic driver which directly or indirectly supports two out of every five working families in Greater Victoria, as well as the many year-round quality of life amenities that make living here so attractive. Given the tourism’s sector’s size and potential impact, it’s important to recognize we have an obligation to operate in a way that respects the environment as well as the social and cultural fabric of our communities.”
Tourists, residents and local flora and fauna — everybody stands to gain from taking care of the earth’s resources, as DGV sees it.
How many other places have this certification?
At press time, only 45 destinations worldwide have earned biosphere certification. The program has really caught on in the Iberian Peninsula; a surprising number of certified destinations are old Portuguese or Spanish villages, plus the city of Barcelona, which is Platinum Certified. In Canada, other certified destination management organizations include the Northern BC Tourism Association, Kootenay Rockies Tourism Association, Cariboo Chilcotin Coast Tourism Association, Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (Gold Certified) and Tourism Vancouver Island.
Images via Destination Greater Victoria
