Vancouver Morning Show Flashcards
When more people start to feel comfortable enough to travel again, staying safe and healthy is going to be the number one concern. Tell us some of the destinations your team decided to highlight while keeping safety top of mind?
Travel is different, for now. The pandemic has severely impacted travel and is likely to continue to do so until there’s a widely available vaccine. But this year, we felt it was important that Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel list reflect our belief that travel can be a force for good.
As a result, we’ve selected destinations like Palau, which has put sustainability front-and-center, requiring visitors to sign the Palau Pledge, promising to be environmentally friendly. Or there’s the tour operator Invisible Cities in the UK that gives people affected by homelessness the opportunity to become tour guides in their own city. Or there are the Gullah Islands off the coast of the southeastern US, where isolation has allowed the Gullah and Geechee people to nurture the most comprehensive African cultural heritage in the country.
A lot of British Columbian’s were forced to stay local and explore the beauty of our own province this year. And I see one Canadian company in Western Canada was featured in your sustainability section. The Rocky Mountaineer! Tell us why this company was chosen?
That’s right! We’re excited to highlight the Rocky Mountaineer for our Sustainable Train Journey award.
- We all know the Rocky Mountaineer for being a spectacular way to see the Canadian Rockies, but we really wanted to emphasize their sustainability credentials
- The train has removed disposable items from its culinary service, has plans to divert 90% of waste from the landfill by 2023 and installed engine technology that reduces emissions by up to 18 tons a year
- the financial donations and support they gives to nonprofits and charities in the areas where they operate to help protect nature and wildlife the trains pass through
So many great stories on this page. From how the black lives matter movement impacted travel, what inclusivity looks like today for LGBTQ plus travellers. If you could speak in general for all people, all backgrounds. What do you think travel will look like moving forward?
We believe diversity in travel matters because diverse perspectives and experiences produce better stories, better understanding and break down barriers.
Going forward, inspiring, passionate people like Gabby Beckford and Jeff Jenkins will continue to make a difference in how travel is represented across race and body types, and tour operators like Wheel the World will continue to ensure that travelers with disabilities have the same opportunities to experience the world that others do.
But beyond that, travel is more deliberate now. We have to decide if it’s safe to take a road trip or stay in a hotel. We believe that will continue to shape how travelers think about the impact of travel, both themselves and the places they travel to. That’s why we wanted this year’s Best in Travel list to focus on how travel can be transformational - both for the travelers themselves and the places they visit.
Any advice on what adventures travelers should plan now?
One trip that’s been on my list for a while is Rwanda, which won our sustainable wildlife program award. The country’s participation in the International Gorilla Conservation Programme has brought its wild mountain gorilla population back from the brink of extinction, and the country is making sort of a blueprint for wildlife preservation in other countries.
Or there’s the Faroe Islands, which won our Community Immersion award. The Faroe Islands are known for their remote, beautiful landscapes with sea cliffs, waterfalls and green meadows, but it’s the embrace of close-knit community that makes the Faroe Islands such an endearing destination.
