Positive Impact Spotlight: Voyageur Quest
Voyageur Quest
Authenticity, unforgettable adventure, local cuisine and an off-grid experience are the specialties of Voyageur Quest, an outfitter and guiding company based out of the west side of Algonquin Provincial Park. Their sprawling properties and experience offerings pair naturally with the tenants of sustainability. For their efforts, they were awarded with a Silver designation as part of the Green Step Sustainable Tourism certification.
Ethos
For Voyageur Quest (VQ), it all begins with their core values at the heart of which is an ethos of treading lightly. For example, they practice no trace camping; a framework of minimum impact practices for time spent in the outdoors. VQ guides are experts in the seven principles of this approach and lead by example during their trips. They also speak with guests about why they are practicing leave no trace camping to help inform the pace and practices of the trip.
Importantly, the tenants of leave no trace camping and of the wider concept of sustainability and regenerative travel are also reflected in VQ company policies and their staff manual. This sets the stage for a strong foundation and justification for positioning these important messages.
Off-Grid Energy
The location of Voyageur Quest headquarters and satellite properties necessitate off-grid power. They use primarily solar panels for energy production and now boast surplus energy at many times of the year as they have honed their conservation techniques. They are proud of their solar energy capacity and the improvements they’ve made. On rainy days when the system is limited, it provides opportunities for valuable conversations about energy with guests about what tasks or charging are necessary and how their systems work.
As sustainable travel becomes an important feature that travellers are looking for when they book trips, being off-grid has taken a more up-front place in VQ marketing materials.
Keep Track
An unexpected insight from the Green Step certification process for Voyageur Quest has been to measure what they are already doing. They had adopted many sustainable practices around waste and energy management but more attention needed to be given to tracking their actions. Doing so has allowed them to fine tune and improve in more meaningful ways. For example, they now track how many trips they make to the dump and aim to reduce waste.
Pledge
In their efforts to engage meaningfully with regenerative travel principles, Voyageur Quest is engaging with customers on topics of sustainability as they pertain to their operations and services by inviting them to participate through a pledge to join them on their sustainability journey during their stay. It’s a simple conversation at check-in that sets the tone for their stay or trip. It sets the stage for an unforgettable experience aligned with the core values of Voyageur Quest and one that encourages their ethos stay with their guests and keep them coming back.
The Positive Impact Spotlight series showcases the efforts to develop sustainable tourism across the great Canadian wilderness just north of Toronto. Got an example of sustainable tourism in action in these parts? Email [email protected] with details.
