The Yukon Sustainable Tourism Observatory, hosted by the Government of Yukon, will identify, measure and interpret sustainable tourism conditions to guide evidence-based decision making. This will help the Yukon to better deal with post-pandemic recovery and future growing, ensuring the sector is managed in a sustainable and responsible manner.

UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: “We warmly welcome the Yukon into our growing global network of observatories. The Observatory can help Yukon to better manage its tourism sector, recovering and growing back more sustainably for the benefit of visitors and residents alike.”

Inclusive future for Yukon tourism

The Yukon is one of Canada’s vast northern territories with a strong and burgeoning tourism industry. The Yukon Tourism Development Strategy “Sustainable Tourism. Our path. Our Future. 2018-2028” called for the establishment of a framework to measure progress on the sustainable tourism development goals in accordance with the vision, goals and actions of the Strategy. Within this context, Yukon pursued the establishment of an observatory on sustainable tourism within the INSTO Framework, with the aim to provide the sector with knowledge on the state of sustainability to make informed decisions and investments.

Minister of Tourism and Culture of Yukon, Ranj Pillai says: “We are very proud to join this prestigious and important network of Sustainable Tourism Observatories as Canada’s first northern member. The Yukon Sustainable Tourism Framework will drive the shift towards sustainable tourism development in the Yukon by bringing the sector together to better understand the impacts of tourism and guide our decision making for the benefit of all Yukoners.”

Minister of Environment of Yukon, Nils Clarke, adds: “The Yukon government is honoured to receive this international recognition for the vital and groundbreaking work being done to address climate change in the territory. Together with the Our Clean Future Strategy, Yukon’s Sustainable Tourism Framework commits us to alignment with global best practices and promotes a balance between economic, social and environmental values.”

The Yukon Sustainable Tourism Observatory is the second Observatory in Canada, after the Thompson Okanagan Sustainable Tourism Observatory and brings the worldwide total to 31.