2025 Sustainability Update
In early 2024, Tourism Oxford achieved GreenStep Sustainable Tourism Destination Certification for the Oxford County Tourism region. The certification guides Tourism Oxford to integrate sustainability into destination planning, management, and marketing, with a recommendations report highlighting four key focus areas and 24 recommendations to implement over the next three years.
The following summarizes actions completed to date in the four key focus areas, followed by ongoing actions and actions that are in the planning phase for 2026-2027.
The Oxford County Ecosystem: Measuring, Monitoring and Mapping
- Tourism Oxford is better equipped to measure and report on sustainability actions being taken in Oxford County
- Launched annual surveys to track sustainability for businesses, residents and visitors
- Added new fields to the business database to report on small businesses and sustainability (e.g., ownership type, certifications, sustainability service, accessibility amenities, and collaboration efforts)
Community First Tourism: Collaboration
- Developed shoulder season tourism products for the winter months, marketing Oxford County's year-round travel: Unwind this Winter in Oxford
- Highlighted businesses sustainability and accessibility enhancements in newsletter and media to engage partners, visitors, and residents in sustainable travel: Green Travel in Oxford County
- All Cheese Trail stops have certified reviews on AccessNow.com, providing visitors with accessibility details for trip planning
- Provided businesses education on sustainability programs and opportunities, like the Water Buy Back program and Conservation Authority programs
Climate Leadership and Regeneration: Advocacy
- Switched from metal to paper signage options for partner programs, like Your Next Stop. Signs were designed using a QR code that can be updated without the need to reprint program signs
- Updated and maintaining a sustainable travel page on the TourismOxford.ca website including alternative transportation and our path to sustainability
- Supporting education and awareness of biodiversity opportunities through outreach to businesses, residents, and visitors
The Art of Hosting: Visitor Engagement
- Tourism Oxford is strategizing and developing the right type of tourism for the community including the launch of Your Next Stop, and new handcrafted route (launch fall 2026)
- New TourismOxford.ca website allows users to filter listings by sustainability features such as B-Corp certified, Feast On certified, Rainbow registered, etc.
- Publicly reporting on progress toward sustainability goals and actions by keeping Sustainable Travel webpage up to date and reports accessible
Actions that are Ongoing Activities
- Hosting tourism operator meetings to discuss the sustainability strategy
- Choosing repair over replacement for displays, tents and equipment
- Printing best practices including FSC/recycled paper, vegetable-based inks, and printing only what is needed
- Avoid purchasing of promotional items. When items need to be purchased, Tourism Oxford focuses on more sustainable options (natural materials, compostable, locally sourced)
- Reducing meeting impact (virtual, reuse, digital handouts, locally sourced food)
- Working to minimize carbon use for Tourism division transportation (virtual meetings, green-fleet, alternative transportation)
- Monitoring visitation and designing marketing to prevent over-tourism
- Monitor and report on tourism business sustainability
- Educate residents, visitors, and businesses on guidelines for expected visitor behaviours
Actions in the Planning Phase
- Work with tourism businesses to reduce food waste and host zero waste events
- Consult with managers of natural and cultural sites to develop tactics to ensure visitation does not exceed site specific capacity
- Work with partners to educate businesses on climate change and GHG emission issues, strategies for reduction and mitigation, and community wide goals and programs
- Engage with organizations and businesses to maintain, enhance, and restore natural spaces
- Work with partners to investigate ways to measure ecological capacity of recreation sites and natural corridors
- Collaborate with regional nonprofits and agencies to discuss tourism supporting aspects of social wellbeing
- Connect with the government and organizations to develop and promote tools that encourage incorporation of native species as part of plantings and conservation programs