IMPACT Sustainability Travel & Tourism Conference

We wanted to take a moment to thank our IMPACT 2025 Sponsors for their indispensible support of our conference. 🙏 The support of these sponsors allowed us to host a moving few days of challenging conversation, moments of reflection, inspiration, and vulnerability, all under the lens of regenerative tourism and responsible destination stewardship. These four days were vital to fueling positive and needed change in our regional, global, and national tourism industries. Expressing a resounding gratitude for: 🔹️ Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC) 🔹️ Travel and Tourism Research Association (TTRA) 🔹️ Intrepid Travel 🔹️ Destination Greater Victoria 🔹️ MMGY Global 🔹️ Greater Victoria Harbour Authority 🔹️ Tourism Richmond 🔹️ Rocky Mountaineer 🔹️ Peter B. Gustavson School of Business 🔹️ Prince of Whales Whale & Marine Wildlife Adventures 🔹️ Eagle Wing Whale & Wildlife Tours 🔹️ Array ...and so much more. Head to our Sponsors page (https://lnkd.in/g26fn_5p) to view all our sponsors, and their websites.

📢 Registration for IMPACT Ontario is NOW OPEN! 🌿✨ Join us for IMPACT Sustainability Travel & Tourism – ONTARIO: A Regional Event, where bold conversations, collaboration, and action will shape the future of regenerative tourism in Ontario and beyond. ✅ Connect with sustainability champions & industry leaders ✅ Explore innovative solutions & global best practices ✅ Be part of the movement driving real change Don’t miss your chance to be at the forefront of sustainable tourism. Secure your spot today! 🔗https://hubs.li/Q03bk7bF0 #IMPACTVitality #SustainableTourism #Ontario #TourismLeadership #IMPACTOntario

Introducing IMPACT Ontario: A Regional Event on Sustainable Travel & Tourism 🌿✨ The future of travel and tourism is regenerative—and you’re invited to join the Ontario movement. IMPACT Sustainability Travel & Tourism – ONTARIO: A Regional Event is more than just a conference. It’s a space for bold conversations, collaboration, and action. Join sustainability champions, tourism experts, and community leaders as we dive into innovative solutions, global best practices, and new research that will shape the future of tourism in Ontario and beyond. At the heart of IMPACT are values that drive meaningful change: 💬 Tackling tough conversations 📖 Making knowledge accessible to all 💡 Embracing vulnerability and pushing boundaries 🌍 Leveraging tourism to alleviate climate change 💰 Recognizing financial success as a force for good 👥 Engaging diverse perspectives from across Canada This is more than an event—it’s an opportunity to connect, collaborate, and create lasting change in your business and community. 📅 Registration open! Register here: https://hubs.li/Q03bkdgt0 Interested in hosting an IMPACT Event in your region? Let’s talk: https://hubs.li/Q03bjMbZ0 #IMPACT #SustainableTourism #Ontario #TourismLeadership

How can travel professionals turn ‘travel for good’ from a buzzword into real impact—for their clients, their businesses, and the destinations they serve? Read on for 15 IMPACT-ful takeaways to help the industry do better, not just talk about it—from the inspiring IMPACT Sustainability Travel & Tourism Conference 2025 in Victoria, British Columbia. Story here: https://lnkd.in/g2X8mqDN #IMPACT2025 #TogetherInTravel Destination British Columbia Destination Greater Victoria Destination Vancouver Adventure World Air Canada Joanne Motta Neil Rodgers Liz Glover James Cracknell Heather McGillivray Monica L. Julie King Nathan McLoughlin Keith Henry Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC) Chief Frank Antoine Paul Nursey ICD.D Brianna Stewart Calen McNeil Brad Parsell Amber Hanson Isabel Hill Dr Aaron Tkaczynski Karryon: Together In Travel

We're setting our sights toward IMPACT 2026! 📆 Returning to Victoria, BC on January 25 - 28, 2026 for its 9th iteration, join attendees from around the globe for 4 days of igniting dialogue, connecting, knowledge sharing, and tackling industry challenges. Sign up for our newsletter through our website, or follow us on social media (we're also on Instagram, Facebook, and X) to stay up-to-date with our next conference! We are looking forward to continuing the work towards sustainable, responsible tourism. 🌎🌱 #IMPACTInternational #IMPACTConference #SustainableTravel #ResponsibleTourism

This year's IMPACT Sustainability Travel & Tourism Conference offered a time to pause and reflect on the state of the work we are doing in tourism as we continue facing the effects of climate change. Celes Davar, President of Earth Rhythms from the east coast received a 2025 IMPACT Award and in his acceptance remarks, he stressed that tourism is not an industry. It is a relationship. It is a relationship with host communities. With the land. With fellow tourism partners. With wildlife. With other sectors. Between guests. And the list goes on. Though not a complex notion, this was a standout point. During the conference, the sentiment surfaced repeatedly as I connected with longstanding colleagues and new contacts. It rang true across the program topics and the experiences being carefully curated across the country. Let's look at 2025 as our year to celebrate tourism relationships! #tourism #relationship #impactinternational #impact2025

I had an insightful experience in sunny Victoria at IMPACT Sustainability Travel & Tourism Conference this week learning about the state of sustainability conversations in the tourism industry, and how it is reflected in marketing & communications. Some of the takeaways related to the work we do at Sparx Publishing Group include: 🌐 We have 9 planetary boundaries, and we have already crossed 6 of them. We need to feel more comfortable in expressing our concerns about climate emergency in corporate communications to raise wider awareness of it (Isabel Hill). More details on planetary boundaries transgression can be found here: https://lnkd.in/gy7QRQMq 🗺️ We need to work harder at expanding international marketing efforts of Indigenous tourism and experiences in Canada and beyond (Keith Henry) 📍 Intentional marketing is required to create more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable tourism destinations (Gracen Chungath) 🌱 When it comes to carbon-conscious eating, we have to reduce food waste, reduce high emissions food consumption, (beef, lamb, shrimp, cheese, and more), and educate consumers (Megan Chan) 📢 Using both external and internal communications is key for engaging the right stakeholders on the issue. And since my conference partner in crime, Hamish Khamisa, was busy attending the Cleantech Forum North America, I had to take my usual dorky photo all alone! #impactinternational #IMPACT2025

After experiencing my first-ever IMPACT Sustainability Travel & Tourism Conference in Victoria, British Columbia, I have SO many takeaways to share (Stay tuned for those), but in terms of what’s top of mind right now, here are a few key points from this amazing gathering. 1. We are all responsible for change: If you work in travel, you’re an environmentalist—whether you realise it or not. You have a responsibility to protect the products you sell because you’re not just selling travel—you’re shaping the future of tourism. Travellers trust your advice, so why not steer them towards regenerative businesses, airlines, and hotels that are reducing emissions, supporting local economies, and preserving the environment and cultures? 2. Be honest. Be hopeful. Be part of the change: Clients are tired of fear-based climate messaging and that loaded word “sustainability”—but they still care. Let’s shift the narrative to solutions, progress, and the power of travel to create a better world. 3. Collaboration is everything: Sustainability isn’t a competitive advantage—it’s a shared responsibility. Travel professionals, suppliers, and tourism boards must work together to share knowledge and drive regenerative travel forward. As our Travel with Purpose Ambassador, James Cracknell from Windsong Travel, puts it, “This conference has given me a pathway forward and so many ideas on how to create a better business and experiences for my clients. I’ve been quietly incorporating responsible travel for years, but now I see how important it is to share more of what we’re doing with our community and our peers to inspire others.” Now more than ever, we need travel to matter. What’s clear is that the travel industry must transform—and that transformation starts with us. Congratulations to everyone at IMPACT for what was a life-changing event (and I don't say that lightly), and a massive thank you to Destination British Columbia, Destination Greater Victoria, Adventure World, Air Canada and Destination Canada. Giving us the opportunity to be here has been an incredible honour and learning experience. See you all there next year! #Impact2025 #RegenerativeTourism #TogetherInTravel Liz Glover Neil Rodgers Joanne Motta Monica L. Julie King Nathan McLoughlin Karryon: Together In Travel Synergy Enterprises, Inc. Jill Doucette

I know - haha - it's more than 5 highlights! After three days at the Impact Conference, my heart and brain are full. This year, I focused my attention on waste reduction conversations and how we can educate the community about them. I was pleased to see the full event's plant-based menu, leftover food taken care of with La Tablee des Chefs and the Empress, and speakers and guests sharing best practices on food security and waste reduction during many sessions. Climate change is affecting the Tourism industry (every industry, really), and it was mind-blowing that 250 people showed up in Victoria to talk about it and exchange ideas. More to come! What are your thoughts or what are you curious about? #impact2025 #impactconference IMPACT Sustainability Travel & Tourism Conference

Tourism is a deeply human exchange. My 15 years of slow travel and living in tourism dependent countries as a reporter taught me that. It’s the message I tried to convey during my talk yesterday at IMPACT Sustainability Travel & Tourism Conference in Victoria, British Columbia. My stories have always emerged from and center around seeing the humanity in others and the value of what they share with me, as more than a mere transaction. Tourism is also a business, yes, that’s great but it’s one in which far too many —the small guys, and the backbone of the industry—are still left behind. Not a lot has changed since 2020, if we’re honest. And with technology advances, disaster capitalism, opinion wars, anti-inclusion stances in the Global North and mistrust of the other, expect tourism to leave more behind. I don’t beat around the bush on these things as you already know. There’s just no time for it, or for patting ourselves on the back. And as other speakers pointed out, this climate crisis is decimating lives and tourism businesses at a level we’ve never seen and it’s sure to get worse. But it’s never too late to disrupt and be an example to others in tourism on how to balance profits with planet and people. And there’s never been a more critical time to ACT on the latter. Thanks to Impact for inviting me to share my experience, to Tartan Bond for recommending me. It was great to connect with like minds and get to spend a bit of time sightseeing and learning about Victoria, BC! 🇨🇦