The Thompson Okanagan looks and feels different than much of the rest of British Columbia. The Okanagan Valley is a popular vacation destination and fast-growing region centered on the 155-km-long Okanagan Lake. The region is known for its dry, sunny climate, dry landscapes, and lakeshore communities and a particular lifestyle.
Home to over 90 communities and over 200 licensed wineries, the landscape is as varied as the tallest peak in the Canadian Rockies to the semi-arid climate of the Okanagan Desert. It is a region rich in Indigenous culture, sun-soaked valleys surrounded by sweeping grasslands and connected throughout by water.
Thompson Okanagan Region was officially certified as the first destination in the Americas to have successfully achieved the Biosphere Tourism Destination Certification from the Responsible Tourism Institute.
Thompson Okanagan becomes the first Sustainable Destination in the Americas
Twenty regions around the world have received recognition from the Responsible Tourism Institute, most of which are located in Europe.
Sustainable tourism is measured by examining how a destination manages itself from several perspectives, including environmental, social and cultural perspectives.
The region also features world-class wineries, inventive, fresh fare, and rich indigenous culture that leaves a lasting mark. Besides the main activities like golf, powder skiing, lake sports, and wine, the region also offers peaceful fishing holes, remote horseback rides, and a selection of farm-fresh culinary treasures.
More than three million people visit the Thompson Okanagan each year, according to the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association.
Photo credit: Dick Thompson Flickr
In 2018, the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association was named the year’s winner of the prestigious Tourism for Tomorrow Destination Award during the World Travel and Tourism Council Summit in Argentina.
Some of the responsibilities are a guarantee an economic, socio-cultural and environmental balance, satisfying the current needs of tourists and host regions, reporting significant benefits for the entity, society and the environment, and protecting and improving future prospects.
Building a responsible and sustainable destination
Treetop Flyers
Sustainability is at the core of Treetop Flyers business. From repurposed shipping containers for offices and installing the only solar-powered drop swing, they are setting the mark for taking responsibility for their footprint.
BC Wildlife Park
BC Wildlife Rescue – Fawcett Family Wildlife Health Centre is a nonprofit organization committed to rescuing and rehabilitating wildlife.
Ogopogo Tours
Committed to sustaining the beautiful landscape in BC, Ogopogo Tours has energy-efficient hybrid vehicles to reduce their harm to the environment.
Myra Canyon Ranch
Surrounded by Myra-Bellevue Provincial Park and 20 minutes from Kelowna, Myra Canyon Ranch is a lodge and horseback riding facility that guests call “a magic place”.
Bhutan is a small country located in the Himalayas with a population of over 800,000. The kingdom is a global leader in environmentally sustainable development. Its social, economic, political and spiritual foundations are rooted in the idea of Gross National Happiness – equitable socio-economic development, preservation of culture, conservation of the environment and good governance.
The UNDP-UNEP Poverty-Environment Initiative in the country helps to ensure that environmentally sustainable considerations remain an integral part of the country’s national development plans.
“The program provides an ideal platform for creating enabling conditions for achieving poverty reduction and environmental sustainability,” says Lyonpo Dorji Wangdi, Minister of Labour and Human Resources.
Bhutan is an example of sustainable development
Bhutan is committed to carbon neutrality, and environmental considerations are implemented into its Constitution, including a requirement that the country preserves 60 percent of its land as a forest.
This small country is an example of sustainable socio-economic development in harmony with nature for the other countries.
Bhutan is one of the world’s happiest and greenest country. Tourists need a visa to explore this South Asian country unless you are from India, Bangladesh, or the Maldives. The visa costs $40 plus there is an additional $250 “Minimum Daily Package Fee” and it needs to be booked through an officially approved tour operator. This fee covers lodging in three-star accommodations, all meals, a licensed tour guide, camping and trekking equipment, domestic travel, and taxes and fees.
There is a $65 daily sustainable development fee which is included in the package. This fee helps funding education, healthcare, the building of infrastructure for the growing tourism.
World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is the country’s oldest conservation partner. Beginning in 1977 by supporting the capacity development of local conservation staff, the support gradually evolved into a full country program with several collaborative conservation projects. WWF Bhutan has been supporting the royal government and people of Bhutan in a number of conservation efforts to protect and conserve Bhutan’s natural capital and the immense biological diversity.
WWF Bhutan works on various environmental conservation programs including research and study, education and awareness, promotion of sustainable livelihoods, protection of terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems, and addressing human-wildlife conflict, illegal wildlife trade, and climate change.
“It was easier for us than say India or China, because we have only 20 people per sq. km. We have also had political commitment,” says Vijay Moktan, conservation director of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Bhutan.
The Bhutanese people’s love and respect for nature is part of their culture. Nature and biodiversity are not only a source of food and economic benefits in the kingdom but also important cultural and spiritual values.
The Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN) is working with different government agencies and several other related initiatives to integrate biodiversity, climate change and poverty elements in the country and contribute to poverty reduction and social progress.
BIOFIN success in Bhutan demonstrates the connection in conservation with the happiness of the Bhutanese people in their mountain stronghold.
“Our integrated approach to financing across sectors to tackle large challenges we face in preserving our biodiversity, mitigating and adapting to climate change and poverty alleviation, we believe, maybe a beacon of good sustainable development practice to the rest of the world.” said Ngawang Gyeltshen, BIOFIN National Coordinator.”
It is the only country in the world that has a negative carbon, which means it produces more oxygen than it consumes. According to UNFCCC report, the kingdom generates about 2.2 million tonnes of carbon annually, yet its forests absorb three times this amount, which creates a carbon sink.
“In 2014, the government imposed a 100% tax on the import of foreign cars, and people are still buying them,” says one Thimphu taxi driver, complaining about the increased traffic. “Where once people were content to walk everywhere, they now want cars.”
The Bhutanese government has also tied up with Nissan and Mahindra Reva to push electric cars. And in a very ambitious move, the country plans to go zero waste 100% organic and maintain its green cover.
In April, 108,000 trees were planted to celebrate the birth of the new prince.
“A car for each family has become more a necessity than a luxury in Bhutan because undisputedly the public transport is not only unreliable and inefficient, it is also often expensive,” writes Sonam Tashi, a lecturer, in a letter to the local paper. “The people are paying for the government’s incompetence.”
Bhutan’s agricultural income is declining and can’t support the increasing population. The country is heavily dependent on imports — nearly 50% of its rice comes from India.
“The Himalayan ecosystem is very fragile. Water resources are critical for us—because our chief export is hydropower—and the only way to save water is to save the forests.”, says Namgyel, one of Bhutan’s negotiators at the Paris climate change agreement in December 2015.
Bhutan for Life, Brand Bhutan, and the Ecotourism program are just a few of the initiatives bringing interest to for tourists, investors, trading and development partners.
Tasmania is known for its spectacular beauty, rich heritage, and abundant wildlife. The island was permanently settled by Europeans in 1803 as a penal settlement of the British Empire.
The first humans arrived in Tasmania around 40,000 years ago. Tasmania was known by its Aboriginal inhabitants as Trowunna and was divided into nine tribal areas.
Tasmania is an archipelago of 334 islands with the size of Ireland. There are often flights and it takes less than an hour’s flight south of Melbourne to visit Tasmania. This is Australia’s only island and the last landmass before Antarctica. It is an ancient, heart-shaped land, an extraordinarily diverse from New Zealand, South America, mainland Australia.
The tallest flowering trees in the world, reaching more than 100 meters in height, tower over millennia-old precious wildlife-filled alpine plateaus and button grass plains that release tannins that stain the pure water streams the color of tea. Some 2,800 miles of coastline, including the highest cliffs in the Southern Hemisphere, hug a landscape of such raw, ravishing and largely untouched natural beauty that it leaves one gasping in astonishment at almost every twist and turn as one travels around Tasmania.
Explore Cradle Mountain-Lake St. Clair National Park
Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park is located in the middle of the island of Tasmania.
This is one of Australia’s most beautiful national parks. With magnificent views of alpine lakes and majestic mountains, it’s no surprise the Overland Track remains the number one way to explore this stunning national park.
Stop by waterfalls and explore myrtle forests with beech trees more than 60 million years old.
Tasmania has year-round opportunities to see the southern lights and will give you a chance to see this amazing phenomenon.
The southern lights or aurora australis are visible in the southern hemisphere only. The scientific explanation for aurora australis is the same as its northern sibling aurora borealis. When charged particles emitted by the sun strike atoms in the atmosphere of earth, electrons in those atoms change energy states and when they return to their resting state they emit light.
Hobart, capital of Australia’s island state of Tasmania, sits on the River Derwent. It is famous with its Salamanca Place, old sandstone warehouses host galleries and cafes.
With its captivating history, picturesque waterways, rugged mountains, and gourmet experiences, the city has something for everyone.
Hobart is close to many of southern Tasmania’s best travel experiences such as historic Port Arthur and the rugged Tasman Peninsula to Bruny Island, the Huon and Derwent Valleys and Mount Field National Park.
Freycinet is a national park on the east coast of Tasmania, Australia, 125 km northeast of Hobart and home to Tasmania’s most photographed view and situated on the breathtaking east coast
The powder-white beaches and transparent waters of Tasmania’s oldest park, formed over 400 million years, are home to native wildlife of 49 species that can only be found in Tasmania.
You can Kayak, snorkel, dive or swim in the clear waters to get up close to abundant marine life.
The Tasmanian Devil Unzoo is not a nature park and not a zoo. It is a four-in-one wildlife nature experience that combines up-close animal encounters, wildlife adventures, a Tasmanian native garden and original art.
Tasmanian Devil Unzoo is the world’s first intentional Unzoo—a revolutionary project to create a model wildlife and nature experience of the future. During your time with us, you’ll be inspired, intrigued, challenged and entertained. Sometimes, you might even find us a little outrageous. Our hope is that your visit to the Unzoo will challenge you to think about the natural world and your place in it, in a completely new way.
After 10 years of effort, it is now working well with wild wallabies, echidnas, possums, native fish and nearly 100 bird species living around our Unzoo bush garden.
The Centurion is the world’s tallest known individual Eucalyptus regnans tree. The tree is located in southern Tasmania, Australia and was measured by climber-deployed tapeline at 100.5 meters
The diameter of Centurion is 4.05 metres, its girth exceeds 12 metres, and its volume has been estimated at 268 cubic metres. The tree is in a small patch of very old forest surrounded by secondary forest.
The mountain ash Eucalyptus regnans is well represented in Tasmania but also grows to some extent on the Australian mainland in Victoria and southeast Australia. More than 140 specimens have been recorded in Tasmania above 85 metres in height with a number of these well over 90 metres.
Famous for its soaring sea cliffs and monumental rock formations and the World Heritage-listed Port Arthur Historic Site, Tasman National Park is an area of dramatic beauty and natural diversity.
Tasman National Park takes up more than 107 km². Tasman National Park is also renowned for its golden beaches, sculptured granite cliffs, and its world-famous coast track.
The tracks are carved throughout the park and range from pleasant and leisurely strolls to challenging multi-day walks.
Bruny Island has some of Tasmania’s most beautifully preserved natural environments with abundant wildlife and stunning cliff top views.
The island is Tasmania’s premier island destination. Including the Bruny National Park, the island provides the ultimate Tasmanian wilderness experience with many spectacular bushwalks, coastal tracks or beach strolls.
The island showcases a variety of artisan cheese, oysters, seafood, berries, fudge, wine, whisky, gin, beer and a selection of cafes and restaurants. There are lots of places to stay with accommodation ranging from friendly campsites to luxury beachfront retreats.
Famous for its crystal-clear waters, white sandy beaches and orange lichen-covered granite boulders, the Bay of Fires is one of Tasmania’s most popular conservation reserves.
The bay was given its name in 1773 by Captain Tobias Furneaux.
The Bay of Fires is located on the northeastern coast of Tasmania. It includes a gorgeous coastline that stretches over 50 kilometers from Binalong Bay. The Binalong Bay and nearby Humbug Point Nature Recreation Area include lovely spots like Skeleton Bay, Grants Point, and Elephant Head.
Liffey Falls is considered one of the island state’s prettiest waterfalls and is a series of four distinct tiered–cascade waterfalls on the Liffey River, is located in the Midlands region of Tasmania.
The area surrounding Liffey Falls was a meeting place for Tasmanian Aborigines for thousands of years.
The waterfall is best viewed towards the end of winter through to early spring.
Feature photo credit: Steven Penton / Flickr
Want to learn more about other sustainable destination? Check out section sustainable travel destinations.
