Tourisme Intelligence
THE Quebec source for information on global trends in tourism

Tags: environment, good-practices, products-and-activities, responsible-travel, Sustainable tourism, Trends

As far as environmental responsibility is concerned, golf is neither ahead, nor behind other sectors, and it may take some time before it is considered as ‘responsible recreation’. Golf courses have a long history of being environmentally unfriendly, due to their high water and chemical use, impact on local topography, hydrology and wildlife.1 Nonetheless, golf [...]

Tags: distribution-network, environment, purchase-behavior, responsible-travel, Sustainable tourism

In 2006, 26,400 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide were emitted into the atmosphere, of which tourism contributed 5% (UNWTO, 2008). Of that 5%, air travel was responsible for 40% and land travel for 36%. The relationship between climate change and tourism is interwoven and interdependent.  Climate change has major implications for the future of tourism [...]

Tags: environment, natural-landscape, region, Sustainable tourism

Like many places, Québec has also created a policy framework to increase energy production from renewable sources such as wind.(1) Wind farm construction presents numerous challenges, but from a tourism viewpoint, it has a direct visual impact on scenic landscapes and an indirect effect on industry due to potential economic losses. Opponents to wind farms [...]

Tags: air-canada, convention, environment, events, Greenhouse-effect, hotels, Sustainable tourism, train, transat, Transportation

Visitors to and from Québec contribute to Greenhouse Gas emissions (GHG), regardless of the mode of transport, distance traveled, or the activity undertaken during a stay. To date, no study assessed neither travelers’ nor the tourism sector’s contributions to GHG emissions, or attitudes or actions towards mitigation in Québec. This creates a knowledge gap about [...]

Tags: classifications, eco-tourism, environment, governance, Greenhouse-effect, hotels, Quebec, tourism development

The need to develop tourism based on sustainability principles is a part of a general tourism policy framework since 2005 in Québec(1) and most tourism sub-sectors also have set broad objectives based on this basis, including the Ski-doo Federation (2). Although sustainability is well accepted across Québec’s tourism sector, in practice it is not a [...]

Tags: environment, purchase-behavior, responsible-travel

Green purchasing or sustainable procurement is a tool to mitigate the environmental impacts of consumption. It simply means looking at what products are made of, where they come from, how they are made and how they will be disposed of at the end of their life cycle. Green purchasing is also an initiative to consume [...]

Tags: airlines, environment, Greenhouse-effect

The popularity of carbon-neutral travel continues to grow, although no reliable figures have been published on the size of this market. Traveling or doing business carbon neutral is a voluntary, market-based option to compensate for the greenhouse gas emissions caused. Using a web-based calculator, one simply calculates the emissions caused and then buys some credits [...]

Tags: branding, classifications, DMO, environment, Issues, Management, travel-behavior, Trends

Welcome to the jungle of quality labels and certification programs! There is certainly a lot to choose from. Are these marks of recognition a sign of quality, a guarantee of success or simply a marketing tool? Do travellers care about them and can they distinguish among them? The following article explores many of these questions [...]

Tags: airlines, environment, Greenhouse-effect, legislation, responsible-travel

Voluntary carbon compensation, or carbon offsetting is applicable to anything that contributes to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions1. It means paying an extra for buying carbon credits in offset projects, so that the emissions caused are balanced out. To be carbon neutral, the quantity of carbon credit purchased need to equal the quantity of emissions caused. [...]

Tags: airlines, environment, Greenhouse-effect, legislation, Sustainable tourism

The tourism industry already has a plethora of environmental issues to address, but more than ever, flying is considered as the biggest sin. Travelers are increasingly preoccupied with the environmental and social ethics of their consumption patterns and some reports claim that more people choose not to travel, in an attempt to curb their contribution [...]