Canadian Virtuoso Advisors: Climate Change Influencing Travel Choices

Virtuoso has revealed the findings of its 2024 Luxe Report and some unexpected findings.

The survey, which involved over 2,000 travel advisors from more than 50 countries, explored the impact of climate change on travel planning. The report highlights that 54 per cent of Canadian travel advisors have noticed an increasing trend among their clients to consider climate change when planning trips.

In response to extreme weather conditions, clients are now altering their travel plans to offset the effects of climate change. The report further reveals that 86 per cent of Canadian travellers are opting for off-peak travel to benefit from better weather conditions, while 74 per cent are selecting destinations with milder climates. Additionally, 32 per cent of travellers are embracing sustainable practices to reduce their carbon footprint.

In support of this trend, Virtuoso has launched a campaign highlighting its preferred partners' sustainable initiatives. Key values include Protecting the Planet, Celebrating and Honouring Cultures and Supporting Local Economies.

Among the partner efforts were:

Protecting the Planet: These efforts involve protecting and preserving the environment and/or promoting sustainable practices in local communities or around the world.

• As of November 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. An industry leader in environmental stewardship, Fairmont Royal York’s sustainable evolution marks the next century as Toronto’s storied landmark hotel.
• 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. Although they can lay hundreds of eggs during a nesting season, just one in every 1,000 to 10,000 eggs will survive to reproduce and contribute to the survival of their species.
• 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: These efforts transform communities, the travel industry and/or the world through the expansion of knowledge, beliefs, arts, customs or capabilities.

• 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: These efforts make a positive financial impact on communities, improving conditions, circumstances and livelihoods for local or global populations.

• PONANT proudly 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.