Submitted by Daryl Cowell
The Sources of Knowledge Board is excited to provide a preliminary announcement of our 2024 Forum: A Sustainable Tourism Future for the Saugeen Peninsula. Block your calendars now to keep May 3 – 5, 2024 open for your Spring travel to Tobermory.
As per last year, the Parks Canada Visitor Center will host the Friday evening social and Saturday/Sunday technical programs. The Banquet and guest speaker presentation will be held at the Tobermory Community Center. The dinner will be prepared and served by the Princess Hotel.
The Forum subcommittee has been busy and has received excellent support from a variety of agencies and individuals to participate. Sustainable Tourism is currently at the forefront of strategic planning and new initiatives on the Peninsula and beyond, thus there is much to learn and discuss. We hope to provide a cross-section of local, regional and greater sustainable tourism plans and programs. Our full program is available on-line at www.sourcesofknowledge.ca where you can register for the Forum as well.
Highlights confirmed to date include a pre-Forum geological hike near Dyers Bay (“Geotourism Live!”) led by local geologist Daryl Cowell; a presentation on the North Bruce Sustainable Tourism Action Plan (STAP) and implementation Advisory Group (STAG) involving many local and regional agencies. Also confirmed are presentations by the SON Environment Office and by the Niagara Escarpment for Sustainable Tourism (NEST) and Longwoods International on “Sustainable Travel and Influences of Climate Change”. GreenStep Solutions will speak to the development of links between tourism destinations and businesses.
Our guest speaker on Saturday Evening will be Tony Pigott, Executive Director of “DEEPTIME: The Georgian Bay Aspiring Geopark”. Tony will provide an in-depth description of recent proposals and activities to establish the entire Georgian Bay region, including the Saugeen Peninsula, as a new UNESCO Global Geopark. The inclusion of the geology of this region within the global geopark network is described as an essential building block in creating a sustainable future for Georgian Bay.
Sunday morning will again be open to the community and will start with an historical summary of tourism on the Peninsula along with new sustainable tourism initiatives by RT07. This will be followed by a ‘roundtable’ discussion including tourism presentations by local actors involved in tourism and tourism planning (Escarpment Motel, Summer House Park, The Bruce Peninsula Biosphere Association and the Municipality of North Bruce Peninsula).
Visit sourcesofknowledge.ca for registration details.
