Ecotourism operators meet to discuss future of industry

KUUJJUAQ — More than 1,000 tourism operators and officials from around the world met in Quebec City late last month to discuss what ecotourism needs to thrive.

Although the definition of ecotourism is “still up in the air,” according to outfitter Junior May from Kuujjuaq, one of the participants in the World Ecotourism Summit, the group was nonetheless able to identify ecotourism’s needs.

Junior May and his partner Charlie Watt Jr. run Kuujjuaq’s ecotourism outfitting company, Qimutsik Ecotours.

Qimutsik offers its clients a chance to experience Nunavik’s traditional life and natural environment through dogsledding, camping, storytelling and get-togethers with local people.

Participating in the ecotourism summit was a heady experience for May, who is also the secretary-treasurer of Nunavik’s tourist association, because the four-day gathering put him in contact with peers from 132 countries.

Sponsored by the United Nations Environment Pro-gram, the World Tourism Organization, Tourisme-Québec and the Canadian Tourism Commission, the event was timed to produce recommendations that can have a global impact on the ecotourism industry.

In September, its recommendations will promote ecotourism as a sustainable industry at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg — a huge meeting that will set the direction for international development policies over the next 10 years.

The ecotourism summit’s official “declaration on ecotourism” acknowledges ecotourism has “significant and complex social, economic and environmental implications.”

As an industry, it says ecotourism helps to alleviate poverty and protect endangered ecosystems.

However, some tour operators offer activities to tourists that exploit a place’s traditions and natural attractions — and give little in return.

That’s why the development of a system of “Ecolabels,” that would set certain standards for operators, was included in the summit’s recommendations.

Right now, the ecotourism market is self-regulated. “You try and keep your product good, and try to be competitive,” May said.

Certification for ecotourism operators is a move May supports because it will oblige operators to meet set standards and determine who should deliver the product.

May also supports the summit’s recommendation for the development of a code of conduct for ecotourism clients.

Its declaration also asks for more support to be given to ecotourism so it can contribute more to the host communities, and help preserve and protect natural areas. Ecotourism needs support from every level of government, it says.

May said Qimutsik has been lucky in this regard.

Locally, the Kativik School Board regularly sends students out on the land with Qimutsik. The company has received financial support and recognition from local and regional organizations, and Tourisme-Québec actively promotes Qimutsik in its national and international tourism materials.

During the upcoming Inuit Circumpolar Confer-ence in Kuujjuaq, Qimutsik also plans to offer tours, so international visitors to Nunavik will have a chance to see more of its scenery and culture.

Regionally, the Nunavik Tourism Association will have more money to invest in developing ecotourism in the region. The Kativik Regional Government has approved an increase in its annual contribution to the association to $87,000 from $77,000.

The increase allows the NTA to access $300,000 a year from Quebec for regional tourism promotion.