King Pacific Lodge a trailblazer on carbon footprints

Photo: Claude-Jean Harel

(Originally published in TOURISM)

Dealing with the carbon footprint of tourism operations is a complex undertaking at the best of times. When someone takes the lead, a significant amount of corporate soul-searching has been invested before arriving at a solution, especially if the steps taken cut deeply into the bottom line. One of those industry leaders is BC’s King Pacific Lodge, a distinctive floating fishing lodge which has earned rave reviews around the world.

Moored in the shelter of Barnard Harbour on Princess Royal Island (south of Prince Rupert), it offers every luxury one could hope for in a wilderness setting. It is accessible only by float plane, and in close proximity to the Great Bear Rainforest, the largest intact temperate rainforest left on Earth. Imagine how strongly a place like this should feel about its carbon footprint!

King Pacific Lodge recently announced plans to reduce its carbon footprint by half over the next five years. It has committed to offsetting the carbon emissions of all lodge operations and employee travel, while also offsetting guests’ air travel to and from the lodge – creating what the company promises to be a truly carbon‑neutral vacation.

If journalists and environmentalists have been quick to point out that the lodge remains a relatively small player in the carbon footprint equation, King Pacific Lodge president Michael Uehara is inspired by something, perhaps, more fundamental. He and his team will look at everything from using more efficient light bulbs, to their recycling practices, even to installing a river‑hydro plant and solar panels for the lodge’s power needs. They will also look at using suppliers who conduct their own carbon reduction programs.

“It is really about an evolution in attitude that we are fostering, about hiring people who think in a similar vein; about associating with companies and creating a network of partners that are like‑minded," says Uehara. "You spread the notion of the need to reduce your carbon footprint and it influences your approach to social and environmental responsibility, even your perception of what are equitable practices.

“We sent a letter to every one of our suppliers telling them what we were going to do, and the letters we got back were incredible. Here are these companies that for years had been taking these small steps, unbeknownst to us. Yes, it is true that we are a small company offsetting our carbon – it is not like reducing emissions at a coal‑fired power plant on the shores of Lake Ontario. It really is more about harnessing our collective actions, and I am surprised at how quickly this catches on.”

According to Uehara, King Pacific Lodge has teamed up with Ecotrust Canada, an organization which focuses on building what it calls the “conservation economy” while raising and brokering capital among communities and businesses to achieve this. Ecotrust connects conservation entrepreneurs to each other.

“They are bringing about ten other companies in a carbon offset program,” notes Uehara, “which will involve the Pembina Institute, a non‑profit organization which is mandated to create an elaborate carbon footprint measuring tool to make it possible to assess the carbon footprint of companies and figure out ways to reduce it.”

When reminded that tourism is frequently referred to as one of the industries that contributes significantly to carbon emissions, he offers the following comment:

“We all have a definition of hospitality and of tourism; they exist for a reason. For me, they are absolutely necessary. They are about taking people outside of their world and introducing them to a new world. It is somewhat akin to providing an intensive course in the authentic lives of other people, in an authentic setting that you are not familiar with. It expands your mind and gives you a greater appreciation for all sorts of things in life.

"Of course, there is a cost; everything has a cost. When a baby is born, there is an environmental cost. Should we stop engaging in tourism activities? Is tourism worth the cost? In my mind… absolutely! We all need that sense of recreation. We all need to be exposed to hospitality. In many ways, it goes to the core of our human existence since the beginning of time.”

Evidently, the soul‑searching still goes on at King Pacific Lodge.

Vaughan Mills as a 'shoppertainment' destination

(Originally published in TOURISM)

There is no denying that shopping is one of the most powerful travel motivators – ever – and studies report shopping to be one of the most common activities engaged in by travellers while on holiday. How important, then, is it for businesses focused on marketing shopping experiences to differentiate what they offer from the experiences offered by their competitors? Very!

And that is what Vaughan Mills (just north of Toronto) is all about, with 250 stores configured inside and outside a loop – somewhat like stores lining a racetrack. Imported from the US, the Mills concept does away with the typical series of anchors, explains marketing director Jamie MacLean: “Instead of an anchor store at either end of the mall, which is the traditional format for a shopping centre, we are looking at 14 major tenants like Winners and HomeSense. We also wanted to bring in a number of first‑time stores to Canada. We have the first Designer Depot in Canada, and Children’s Place. Bass Pro Shops/Outdoor World has a surface area of over 140,000 square feet; it is a fishing and hunting destination in itself, with a 40,000 gallon fish tank where you can catch fish feeding throughout the day and also take fishing lessons. The tank also provides habitat for 15 species that are native to Ontario.”

At Vaughan Mills, gone is plain old shopping and in comes “shoppertainment”, a term the Mills claims to have coined where the emphasis is on a richly‑textured high‑quality shopping experience. MacLean emphasizes how the entertainment component helps impart destination status to the Mills:

“We have the NASCAR SpeedPark for the first time in Canada, featuring indoor and outdoor race and go‑kart tracks. We also have the Lucky Strikes Lanes (upscale bowling) from Hollywood. We have the world’s largest Tommy Hilfiger store. Pro Hockey Life is opening the largest specialty hockey store in Canada; it will have a themed, interactive environment with an indoor ice pad, providing opportunities to try out the merchandise before committing to a purchase.”

So, shopping thereby becomes even more of an experiential journey. “40% of our shopping centre is based on the outlets concept (Holt Renfrew Last Call, Lacoste, Browns Outlet, Calvin Klein Underwear). So it is the combination of standard fashion, large‑scale retail formats, outlets, dining, and the entertainment components that make a difference for us.”

To refine the experience even further, the shopping centre is broken up into six neighbourhoods and six transition courts, themed to expose visitors to meticulously conceived architectural environments at six entrance ways. MacLean explains that the over‑arching theme is “Discover Ontario” with neighbourhoods themed for lakes, nature, rural, small town, city, and even a "fashion neighbourhood". “So as you move from neighbourhood to neighbourhood, the Discover Ontario theme makes the beauty and diversity of the province more vivid. The total mix we offer elevates the shopping experience to a new level. Vaughan Mills is not just about shopping; it is about adventure and the emotional connection. It appeals to all the senses.

“Back in the 80s and 90s, it was a big deal to go to a shopping centre as a destination and to spend the day there. Over the years, that idea faded away because there wasn’t anything unique about the shopping experience.”

The West Edmonton Mall was a Canadian pioneer in destination shopping complexes, MacLean acknowledges, but he feels Vaughan Mills is also a pioneer in its own right: “We are the largest single level shopping centre in Canada. We are a significant attraction in Ontario because of the Discover Ontario theme, and we think it also provides a sense of education for tourists – something that they can take back with them.”

Last but not least, Vaughan Mills has developed extensive partnerships with the tourism industry through a standing package promotion with seven local hotels and 70,000 coupon books distributed annually to tourists. The Vaughan Mills Shop and Stay program has helped sustain the attraction’s success in the travel trade, where management feels it belongs.

Culture and heritage key to success

(Originally published in TOURISM)

by Ernest Labrèque

Despite the existence of such powerful icons as the Cirque du Soleil, Canada ranks no higher than 18th in culture and heritage overall, in terms of international perception, according to the 2005 Nation Brands Index (Simon Anholt).

Will Canada one day be perceived as a destination which can offer its millions of visitors a rich cultural experience? How will we be able to ensure that museums, festivals and cultural institutions do not become critically under funded? How can we keep the major heritage sites – so beloved of tourists – from deteriorating to the detriment of the international competitiveness of our country?

These are real issues. The results achieved by two national co‑operative initiatives involving the tourism, culture and heritage industries are worthy of our attention, even though they start out with different perspectives on the issues. One of them is the CTC’s now‑completed Packaging the Potential and the other is the Federal‑Provincial‑Territorial Culture/Heritage and Tourism Initiative (FPTTI), a unique joint effort involving Canada’s 13 departments of culture and heritage.

Did you know that the FPTTI, which started in 2003 and was renewed in 2006, provides cultural organizations with extremely useful tools which are accessible on line?

• A model for the analysis of tourism spin‑off for cultural sites, useful for working with decision‑makers to obtain funding;
• 23 case studies (tourist attractions) of successful collaboration between tourism and culture;
• a complete survey of domestic and international market studies in this field.
  

These reports, and many others, can be consulted at www.pch.gc.ca/pc-ch/pubs/tourism/index_e.cfm

The 2000‑2005 business strategy which was prepared by the CTC and adopted by its board of directors does, in fact, present a number of resources and new marketing models:

• Canada: Destination Culture, which came out of a symposium where international buyers presented their expectations with regard to Canadian cultural product;
• innovative partnerships as part of tourism trade shows and specialized forums aimed at cultural products, such as Bienvenue Québec and Sharing Manitoba’s Culture with the World;
• the “Learning Travel” tourism product, which sets forth a selection of more than 320 certified educational experiences suggested for international buyers;
• research on US and Canadian tourists interested in entertainment events, art, museums and heritage.
  

Ernest Labrèque was a culture tourism specialist with the CTC until 2006, and is currently head of film and television for International Cultural Relations, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada.

Vancouver gallery works with travel trade

(Originally published in TOURISM)

In a bold move, the Vancouver Art Gallery is offering a major exhibition of works by modern masters from the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art this summer. “From Monet to Dali” is the largest showing of historical European art ever presented at the gallery, with works by Picasso, Gauguin, Cézanne and Manet, among others. It will run until September and is the major revenue earner of 2007 for the institution which has tapped heavily into the travel trade to ensure the endeavour’s success, according to director of marketing and communications Dana Sullivant.

“It is extremely important for us not only to attract our local audience within BC’s Lower Mainland, but we also have a wonderful opportunity to bring visitors to the city as well. It has been shown time and time again, on both sides of the border, that a major exhibition with impressionist works by the European masters has the potential to bring tourists. We have probably for the first time ever for the gallery developed a larger campaign where we are working with our local DMOs. We are actually spending dollars in other markets to invite visitors to enjoy everything that Vancouver has to offer.”

Sullivant says the initiative started about 2 years ago when the gallery approached Tourism Vancouver and Tourism BC, which has led to a compelling outdoor campaign inspired by images from the exhibition. In addition, the gallery has promoted its project through the travel trade at Rendez‑vous Canada and Canada’s West Marketplace.

“At all of our major shows, we featured Monet to Dali with tour operators, with consumers and travel agents," Sullivant says. "We have individual packages and group packages available. We have covered all our bases.”

But this didn’t happen overnight, explains Sullivant: “Before 2005, the Vancouver Art Gallery never had a dedicated tourism program. Its efforts were focused mainly on the local market and on taking whatever tourists happened to wander around and come into the building. We now have ticket partnerships with the Vancouver Trolley Company, Grey Line and with a number of entities around town. So we really started two summers ago with ground level tourism initiatives that are now yielding results.”

The gallery saw a virtually untapped potential in its visitation numbers. Survey results indicate 44% of the gallery visitors are from the Greater Vancouver area, 23% are from elsewhere within Canada, 20% from the US and 13% from countries other than the US. A total of 33% of our gallery visitors according to those figures are from outside Canada.

A few factors work in the gallery’s favour: It is located in a heritage building in the heart of downtown, and there has been a major shift in the gallery’s attitude to tourism and revenue diversification, according to Sullivant, brought about at the board level through the leadership of director Kathleen Bartels, who came to the gallery from the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art.

“There is now recognition that tourism is a virtually untapped gold mine for the Vancouver Art Gallery,” confirms Sullivant. “Our visitation has been climbing incrementally ever since Kathleen got here in 2001; there is no reason why Vancouver shouldn’t be one of the top cultural destinations in North America. As time goes on and we spend more of our resources singing the praises of this beautiful city and its artistic riches, this will surely come to fruition."

Priceless Index offers an insight into Canadians’ preferences

(Originally published in TOURISM)

A new poll conducted by Environics Research Group for MasterCard Canada yields new insight into what is most "priceless" to Canadians. With a look at cities, best places to camp and favourite events, the 2007 MasterCard Priceless Index (conducted in honour of Canada Day), surveyed over 2,000 Canadians and found that nearly one in five (19%) Canadians chose Vancouver as the number one Canadian city tourists should not miss. Québec City came in a close second with 18%, followed by Montréal (14%), Toronto (13%) and Ottawa (8%).

Atlantic Canadians love Toronto, with 15% ranking Toronto first, followed by Québec City, Ottawa and Montréal (all at 11%). Twenty‑six percent of Ontarians chose Toronto, over Vancouver (14%), Ottawa (14%) and Québec City (13%).

Residents of Manitoba/Saskatchewan ranked Vancouver (21%) top on their list, followed by Montréal (13%), Ottawa (10%) and Toronto (8%). It is no surprise Albertans and British Columbians ranked Vancouver first, but both provinces also ranked Montréal (30%) second. Québecers sure love home! Québec City is their city of choice (43%), followed by Montréal (30%).

When Canadians were asked the best place for a road trip, six in ten Canadians (59%) chose the Rocky Mountain region, followed by the Cabot Trail on Cape Breton Island (14%).

The survey also highlights pride in regional identity, as a whopping 81% of Albertans chose the Rocky Mountain region as the best part of Canada through which to drive.

British Columbians and those from Manitoba/Saskatchewan also ranked the Rocky Mountain region first (79% and 73% respectively).

The survey asked Canadians which of Canada’s national parks is the most priceless. Alberta’s Banff came first (19%), followed by Ontario’s Algonquin second (15%) and Alberta’s Jasper third (7%). Atlantic Canadians chose Newfoundland’s Gros Morne (15%) as the most priceless national park, followed by Banff (13%).

More than a third of Ontarians (37%) chose Algonquin as the most priceless, followed by Banff (15%). Quebeckers love their own Laurentian Park (11%), followed closely by Banff (10%).

When asked which Canadian event or attraction would be the most priceless for a tourist, 37% of Canadians chose the Calgary Stampede. All regions surveyed ranked the Calgary Stampede as the number one do‑not‑miss event. However, while all seemed to agree on what is number one, there was not as much consensus on what number two should be: Atlantic Canadians ranked whale watching as number two (29%); Ontarians recommended tourists lace up their skates on Ottawa’s Rideau Canal (18%); British Columbians and those in Manitoba/Saskatchewan also ranked whale watching as number two on their list (29% and 11% respectively).

This national survey of 2,006 Canadians 18 years of age and over was carried out by telephone between May 24 and May 31, 2007. Results from a survey of this size can be considered accurate to within plus or minus 2.2 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.