TORONTO — According to Virtuoso’s new 2024 Luxe Report, the majority of Canadian travel advisors – 54% – say their clients are increasingly taking climate change into account when planning their upcoming trips.

With extreme weather on the rise, Virtuoso advisors say their clients are travelling differently or changing travel plans to offset the effects of climate change seen across the globe.

Some 86% of advisors say Canadians are visiting destinations during off-peak times when weather conditions are typically better, 74% said they are selecting destinations where weather conditions are less extreme and 32% said they are travelling more sustainably to reduce their carbon footprint.

The 2024 Luxe Report surveyed more than 2,000 travel advisors from more than 50 countries.

Virtuoso’s Vice President, Sustainability Javier Arredondo, notes that Virtuoso has supported and promoted responsible tourism for over 12 years. With practices based on the three pillars of sustainability – Protecting the Planet, Celebrating & Honouring Cultures and Supporting Local Economies – Virtuoso, together with hundreds of its preferred partners across the globe, is committed to furthering travel as a force for good and helping propel the travel industry toward a more sustainable future, he adds.

“Virtuoso has long been a proud advocate of sustainable tourism. From our Sustainability Council and Community to awards and dedicated editorials in every issue of Virtuoso, The Magazine, we support the efforts of our partners and seek to educate our advisors on sustainable travel,” says Arredondo. “With a goal of making sustainability a greater factor in consumer choice, it’s inspiring to see more clients taking it into account, thanks in large part to our travel advisors who are creating a dialogue on selecting destinations, hotels, cruise lines, tour operators and other partners that share the same commitment. Using a Virtuoso advisor when planning upcoming vacations will not only help travellers ensure they support businesses that share their values but also assist them in navigating the ever-changing world of travel.”

Here’s a look at sustainability efforts from a selection of Virtuoso’s top partners …

PROTECTING THE PLANET

• As of Nov.15, Fairmont Royal York became the first heritage hotel in North America to earn a Zero Carbon Building – Performance Standard certification from the Canada Green Building Council. The large-scale retrofit was achieved by converting heating and domestic hot water from steam to electric heat pumps that use heat recovery from Enwave’s district energy network, and by converting cooling from electrical chillers to Enwave’s Deep Lake Water Cooling system. Fairmont Royal York will eliminate 7,000 tonnes of carbon emissions annually and over 165,000 tonnes of carbon emissions by 2050.
• Anguilla is a haven for three species of turtles: green, leatherback and hawksbill. During the nights of the peak nesting season, which runs from July to October, volunteers ensure turtles safely come ashore to nest on Anguilla’s 33 stunning beaches. With their help in making sure the turtles are undisturbed, the female turtles carefully dig a nest up to one meter deep and lay about 100 eggs.
• A collaboration between Windstar Cruises and Coral Gardeners, a Moorea-based organization determined to revolutionize ocean conservation, will expand the small ship cruise line’s coral reef adoption program for guests, as well as provide new educational shore excursions in Tahiti and an on-board informative speaker series on coral reef preservation. To date, Windstar and its guests have adopted over 2,400 corals by contributing via the on-board donation program, with the ultimate goal to open a dedicated nursery supporting 6,000 corals in 2025.
• Air Canada has announced an investment in electric regional aircraft with a purchase agreement for 30 ES-30 electric-hybrid aircraft under development by Heart Aerospace of Sweden. The revolutionary aircraft will generate zero emissions flying on battery power and is projected to have an all-electric range of up to 800 kilometres.

CELEBRATING & HONOURING CULTURES

• Since 2020, the Costa Rican Tourism Institute has developed a series of guides for several cultural hubs throughout the country, including Turrialba-Jiménez, Sarapiquí, Los Santos, Monteverde, Golfito-Jiménez and Osa, in which tourists are encouraged to utilize local guides, companies and artisans.
• AmaWaterways is currently building two new ships in Colombia and working with local architects, designers and suppliers to properly incorporate and honour the natural resources and culture of the destination. This partnership aims at enhancing the lives of local residents along the Magdalena River, as many of these communities will be opening up to international visitors for the first time.

SUPPORTING LOCAL ECONOMIES

•  PONANT owns the world’s only luxury Polar Class 2 rated exploration ship, Le Commandant Charcot, an icebreaker that can access remote Arctic regions earlier in the season. The vessel serves as a supply ship for certain Greenlandic communities that are otherwise largely cut off from supplies from October to July. PONANT has delivered over 60 pallets of food to the communities of Tasiilaq and Ittoqqortoormiit thus far in 2023, helping to lower the cost of goods in comparison to standard deliveries that arrive by air. Le Commandant Charcot’s environmental impact has been rated ‘Super Clean’ by the Bureau Veritas, a world leader in sustainable maritime business.
• Lindblad Expeditions supports the first farm-to-table program in the Galápagos Islands. Working with dozens of family farms to source tons of organic produce for the ships benefits the people in this remote island community, reduces the carbon footprint of shipping and creates a market for locally grown food.