What if a holiday could do more than give travellers great stories?
Across Canada, tourism operators are finding ways to ensure that travel makes a difference to the places they call home – restoring landscapes, supporting communities, protecting wildlife and sharing culture – all while offering unforgettable experiences.
Destination Canada describes this as a regenerative approach to tourism: leaving destinations, environments and communities stronger than before.
Here are six operators making sure travel is working as a force for good in Canada.
British Colombia – Klahoose Wilderness Resort
In British Columbia’s Desolation Sound, Klahoose Wilderness Resort offers an authentic, Indigenous-led cultural and wildlife experience rooted in ancestral stewardship.
Owned and operated by the Klahoose First Nation, the off-grid resort takes guests into Toba Inlet with Klahoose Cultural Ambassadors to look for grizzly bears, explore the ocean and experience traditional ceremonies.
The entire resort runs on a zero-emission micro-hydroelectric system, and guest conservation fees help fund salmon restoration, bear habitat research and youth mentorship programs.
Northwest Territories – North Star Adventures and Aurora Village
In Canada’s Northwest Territories, the Northern Lights are more than a bucket-list spectacle. Near Yellowknife, Aurora Village offers dedicated aurora viewing experiences on the Ingraham Trail, alongside daytime tours and activities that give travellers more time to explore the region.
For a cultural perspective, Indigenous-owned and operated North Star Adventures takes guests out on an Aurora Hunt, combining information about the science behind the Aurora Borealis with Indigenous stories and legends associated with the night sky.
Tour groups are kept intentionally small, and First Nations guides draw on generations of traditional knowledge to offer travellers an intimate and informed look at one of the Northern Hemisphere’s most breathtaking natural phenomena.
Alberta – Jasper Food Tours
In July 2024, wildfire swept through more than 33,000 hectares of Jasper National Park – the largest blaze in more than a century. More than a year on, new growth is emerging and wildlife is returning as the 55-million-year-old landscape regenerates.
Jasper Food Tours’ Wildfire Peak-Nic offers travellers a closer look at this remarkable recovery. The four-kilometre hike winds through an area heavily affected by the Complex Wildfire, with guides pointing out new-growth forest, wildflowers and mushrooms along the way. They also share insights into Jasper’s history, geology and forestry, while explaining the important role fire plays in a healthy ecosystem.
At the summit of one of Jasper’s most prominent peaks, guests enjoy a hot lunch served alongside sprawling views across the changing scenery.
Manitoba – Frontiers North Adventures
Churchill is famous for its polar bears, and Frontiers North Adventures is finding a less intrusive way to meet them.
The B-Corp certified operator introduced its Electric Vehicle Tundra Buggy in 2021, producing zero emissions and less noise than its conventional counterpart.
For travellers, the experience remains every bit as thrilling. For the bears, the quieter vehicle creates a less intrusive presence in their environment – a small but meaningful change when thousands of visitors travel to northern Manitoba each year for a glimpse of these incredible animals.
Frontiers North Adventures also works closely with Polar Bears International, an organisation dedicated to the conservation of polar bears and their habitat, offering live field camera broadcasts, Tundra Connection webcasts and the opportunity to learn from Field Ambassadors while touring the tundra.
Newfoundland and Labrador – Fogo Island Inn
On Fogo Island, off Newfoundland’s rugged northeast coast, the idea of giving back goes straight to the bottom line.
Fogo Island Inn has 29 rooms and suites overlooking the North Atlantic and is built around respect for the island’s nature and culture. It’s remote enough to feel wonderfully removed from everyday life, but the real story here is what happens beyond the view.
With sustainability and regeneration at its core, the Inn operates as a community-centred social business, reinvesting 100 per cent of its operating surpluses back into the community of Fogo Island.
Booking a room at this all-inclusive property means supporting local environmental stewardship, heritage preservation, sustainable culinary practices and youth programming.
Together for impact
Industry members who want to learn more can join the Together for Impact Virtual Summit on 5 November 2026. The summit will bring together the Australian travel industry to explore how tourism can create positive impact for the places we visit, the people who call them home, and the Australian travel businesses that connect travellers with Canada.
Because perhaps the best souvenir is knowing you helped leave a remarkable place a little better than you found it.
