Find out about the Yukon Sustainable Tourism Framework

The aim of sustainable tourism development is to make sure there's a balance between economic, social and environmental values.

We want to make sure that the growth of tourism:

• supports healthy communities; 
• preserves our natural environment for future enjoyment; and 
• benefits Yukoners for generations to come.

When we carried out engagement on the Yukon Tourism Development Strategy, Yukoners called for a framework to measure sustainable development.

We’ve developed the Yukon Sustainable Tourism Framework based on:

• the vision, goals, values and action plans of the Yukon Tourism Development Strategy; and 
• the United Nations’ International Network of Sustainable Tourism Observatories (INSTO) framework. 

In May 2022, we became a member of the network to get support with and guidance on implementing the framework.

View our INSTO application document.

View our press release.

17 key tourism elements

The framework includes a set of 17 key tourism elements that we’ll measure and report on annually.

Monitoring and reporting on the 17 key elements will provide the tourism sector with knowledge on the state of sustainability within the industry from year to year. 

This knowledge will help the sector:

• prioritize Yukon Tourism Development Strategy actions; and 
• identify other actions that may need to be taken. 

Ultimately, the framework will help the sector:

• establish priorities;
• make informed decisions and investments; and
• understand more about how to amplify the positive benefits of tourism for communities, cultures, economies and environments and address and mitigate any negative impacts. 

The key elements include 11 that the United Nations’ International Network of Sustainable Tourism Observatories requires its members to monitor:

• Governance
• Local satisfaction
• Destination economic benefits
• Employment and human resources
• Tourism seasonality
• Energy management
• Solid waste management
• Wastewater management
• Water management
• Climate change
• Accessibility

Based on the vision, goals, values and action plans we developed through the Yukon Tourism Development Strategy engagement process we identified a further 6 key elements that are important to Yukoners:

• Infrastructure
• Natural environment
• Cultural sustainability
• Resident travel and pride
• Public health and safety
• Visitor sentiment