Québec wins biosphere certification, updates shore power plans

Biosphere is the international sustainability management and certification system of the Responsible Tourism Institute, one of the founding organizations of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council.

For over 25 years, the biosphere program has helped destinations, businesses and organizations define, organize and make visible their sustainability goals. It offers a model for developing a sustainable development plan in a personalized way, including an annual evaluation process and external audits to measure progress.

Community Cruise Forum

This news set the tone for the fifth edition of the International Cruise Forum, an event jointly organized by the Port of Québec and Destination Québec cité which brings together representatives from the tourism sector, the maritime community and citizen groups to work on sustainable cruisr. The event included collaborative workshops that asked participants to reflect on new ideas and actions for the upcoming 2024 season.

'Québec is already a unique model as a destination mobilized for best practices around international cruises, and this certification enables us to actively implement our sustainable tourism action plan dedicated to cruises, and to organize our efforts around the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals,' Port of Québec CEO Mario Girard said. 'Obtaining this certification was a priority for us, as it is perfectly in line with our 2035 Vision, for which one of the major pillars is to commit to a more sustainable world.'

Destination Québec cité GM Robert Mercure called the certification, a 'major step that reflects our shared commitment to a more sustainable and responsible tourism. At Destination Québec cité, we firmly believe that long-term success depends on a collaborative approach that integrates tourism development in a balanced way that respects our environment and our community.'

Shore power update

The port took the opportunity of the forum to reassert its work toward shore power in collaboration with Hydro-Québec. The port plans to submit a shore power project for cruise ships by the end of this month.

The project would make it possible to accommodate several dozen ships as soon as 2027.