This text is part of the special Business Tourism section
In its strategic approach to business tourism, the Quebec government noted the “growing consideration given to eco-responsible practices by organizers and participants” in terms of business tourism. Several regional initiatives are trying to adapt destinations to this trend.
Destination Quebec City soon to be Biosphere certified
Our national capital is already well-rated on the business tourism circuit. According to the Quebec government, it has 18% of the surface area available in Quebec for holding meetings and ranks 4e rank among Canadian cities for hosting international events. Its Convention Center holds several green building certifications, including LEED and Boma Best.
Destination Québec Cité is now on track to become the first destination in Eastern Canada (and the first French-speaking one) to obtain Biosphere certification. This provides support to businesses and tourist destinations in their journey towards a more sustainable offer, based on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations.
This program currently has more than 45 certified destinations, and a dozen others have started the process. Most are located in Spain, Portugal, Western Canada and Latin America. Destination Québec Cité is managed by the Responsible Tourism Institute, an international NGO which is one of the founding organizations of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council.
“Making a destination more sustainable increases its attractiveness, particularly on the business tourism market, in addition to contributing to achieving the region’s sustainability targets,” says Véronique Desmarais, director of the sustainable destination development section of Destination. Quebec City cited.
At the same time, Destination Québec city launched a program which will help, from 2023 to 2026, tourism businesses in the region to obtain this certification. Last April, the Nomad Hotel became the first establishment in the city to obtain it. “This certification aims to create a movement towards more sustainable tourism within a destination, which entirely corresponds to our vision,” underlines Véronique Desmarais, who spent more than 14 years working for the Fonds d’ Quebec action for sustainable development before joining Destination Québec Cité.
The program offers financial support that will allow businesses to register for free with Biosphere to begin their process. It also offers operational support, through meetings with a sustainable development consultant and access to the Biosphere online management and monitoring platform. Finally, Destination Québec Cité will strive to promote the establishments involved in this certification program.
Directories to guide business tourists in Montreal
Montreal is undoubtedly the flagship destination for business tourism in Quebec. There we find 40% of the areas available for holding meetings, according to Tourisme Québec. Both the city and the Palais des congrès hold iCompli Sustainability certification, according to the ASTM standard, which confirms its status as the city of choice for eco-responsible events. Before the pandemic, the destination regularly ranked at the top of the International Congress and Convention Association rankings for the number of international conventions in North America, ahead of New York, Chicago and Toronto.
The metropolis also occupied first place in the North American ranking (and 33e place in the world) of the Global Destination Sustainability Index 2023, which classifies the different global tourist destinations in terms of sustainable development. But it does not rest on its laurels and continues to innovate. Tourisme Montréal recently launched two directories to help business event organizers find ways to leave their destination in better condition than when they arrived. They were produced in collaboration with SENS communication.
The Donations, Recycling and Reuse Directory presents local organizations that collect surplus food, clothing, furniture and equipment not used during entrepreneurial events. There are several well-known organizations there, such as L’Accueil Bonneau, Chez Doris, Écoscéno and Éco-Collecte.
Instead, the Directory of Volunteer Activities offers a list of volunteer activities to accomplish as a group, including suggestions for turnkey projects for businesses. The program shares several essential information, including the reception capacity of organizations, their mission, the format of volunteer activities and the best time of year to organize them. It presents various possibilities depending on the size of the group, the duration of the activity, the geographic location and, of course, different causes that delegates might wish to get involved with, such as food insecurity, homelessness , the fight against climate change and the preservation of natural environments.
“This is part of our Harmonious Destination Strategy, adopted in the summer of 2022, which represents our intervention framework in sustainable tourism,” explains Aurélie de Blois, spokesperson for Tourisme Montréal. The first directory is aimed more at organizers, while the second concerns both organizers and conference attendees. We want to facilitate their efforts to make their events more sustainable. »
Although sustainable development is attracting more attention in business tourism, it is not yet always automatic. “We want our repertoires to show them what they can accomplish and to inspire them,” continues Aurélie de Blois. If the ecosystem to support them is in place and visible, conference organizers and delegates will participate. At the same time, it helps keep Montreal at the forefront of business destinations. »
Action plans in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean
In Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean too, sustainable business tourism is on the agenda. Promotion Saguenay, the Lac-Saint-Jean Convention Bureau and the Association Hôtellerie du Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean are working together to help local establishments adopt and implement action plans in this regard.
“More and more event organizers are asking establishments to present their sustainable development actions; However, some have not yet taken such steps, while others are taking action, but communicating them little or poorly,” explains Anne-Marie Boudreault, general director of the hoteliers association.
The three organizations therefore decided to make it a regional issue. Since April 2023, they have brought together a first cohort of nine establishments who are following training offered by consultants specializing in sustainable tourism. These training courses will extend over more than a year. “Companies first learn how to carry out a good diagnosis of what they are already doing, to draw up an action plan and to recognize the concrete actions they must take to move forward,” summarizes Anne-Marie Boudreault.
These establishments will also need certain support to implement their action plan and communicate their actions. These are generally SMEs whose managers, very busy with daily management, often lack the time and manpower to carry out this type of project.
On the side of the three regional partners, ideas abound. They are particularly considering launching sustainable tourism challenges and creating a regional record label for companies that stand out in this field. In the longer term, they want to help smaller establishments, which are regularly called upon to welcome conference attendees.
They are also looking at options to tackle the transportation dilemma. Their region is located approximately 500 km from Montreal and more than 200 km from Quebec. Obviously, getting there requires longer trips and, therefore, more polluting than for conferences in large centers. “We are studying ways in which we could offset the GHG emissions from these trips and the sources of financing that could help us get there,” confides Anne-Marie Boudreault.
In the meantime, convention-goers are becoming increasingly fond of the bus service offered by the Lac-Saint-Jean Convention Bureau. In 2022, four organizers relied on this option to collectively transport some of their participants, a record in the region.
This content was produced by the Special Publications team at Duty, relating to marketing. The writing of the Duty did not take part.