Planning a sunny vacation this winter? Find out how responsible your tour operator is.

Of the 21.1 million outbound trips taken by Canadian tourists in 2005, a record-high 29.5 per cent of them were to overseas destinations. Pre-packaged holidays to sun, sand, and sea destinations remain the most convenient and economical way for Canadians to vacation.

Researchers at Ryerson University assessed Canadian large outbound tour operators’ CSR actions and practices in 2007 and in 2009 using the following criteria:
• Environmental commitment;
• Regulatory compliance;
• Supply chain management;
• Guest and employee education;
• Community outreach and support;
• Philanthropic donations;
• Monitoring and reporting

This study represents operators who are responsible for over 80 per cent of all mass tourism package travel from Canada.

Two operators—Air Transat and Signature Vacations—are showing positive efforts towards corporate responsibility, and Air Transat should be noted for its improved performance over the past two years. Both companies now publish a CSR report, have equal opportunity hiring practices, and provide skills development. Both assist with local development projects (such as supporting a local school or hospital, or working to reduce waste and energy) and donate to some environmental/social projects. Other efforts include enacting child labour policies such as the End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes Act (ECPAT). Air Transat currently gives up to $50,000 per year to charities in Canada and the Caribbean, and is looking at becoming carbon neutral.

But Air Transat, Signature, and other tour operators have a far way to go towards sustainable supply chain management: there is no evidence that they audit supplier labour practices, focus on climate change mitigation, or conduct environmental or cultural sensitivity training.

Rachel Dodds is Assistant Professor at the Ted Rogers School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Ryerson University. Jacqueline Kuehnel is with JK & Associates. Rachel is the author of Power and Politics: Sustainability in Islands?: Determining Barriers and Successes to Implementing Sustainable Tourism Policy in Two Mediterranean Islands: Calviá, Spain and Malta.