Toronto Travel Massive celebrates 7 years

Toronto Travel Massive 7^th anniversary party on the lake

The 7th anniversary of Toronto Travel Massive was a very special event – not just because it was our 7th birthday, but also because we celebrated the great Canadian outdoors with Ontario Parks and Ontario Place in beautiful Trillium Park on the lake. It was also special because of the theme of the event: responsible travel and sustainable tourism.

And it was special because Ontario Parks was announcing plans to celebrate their 125^th anniversary in 2018. In fact, we were very honoured that Ontario Parks chose the Travel Massive event to announce their 125^th anniversary! Yup, you heard it here first, kids.

We were very lucky to have a gorgeous evening at Ontario Place for the 7^th anniversary. And we were very lucky to have Ontario Parks sponsoring the evening, and Ontario Place hosting us at Trillium Park. The view from Trillium Park is incredible, and the park itself is truly a wonderful piece of paradise in the city.

Ontario Place is a large waterfront recreation centre in downtown Toronto, originally built in the 1970s on a series of man-made islands. It closed several years ago and is now in the process of re-opening.

Toronto Travel Massive co-founder Mariellen Ward welcomed everyone to the event, and read out a letter about responsible travel / sustainable tourism (see below). Jeff Brown of Ontario Parks spoke about the parks and the 125^th anniversary. And Valerie Holliday of Ontario Place welcomed everyone to the stunning new Trillium Park and the regeneration of Ontario Place.

For our event, Ontario Parks really pulled out all the stops. They set up exhibits to both teach people about the more than 330 provincial parks in Ontario, the many programs and services they offer to visitors, and to create photo opportunities for the social media contest.

The Learn to Camp and Learn to Fish exhibits were set up to help people improve their outdoor skills, plus there was an exhibit set up to teach people about the health benefits of time in nature. Getting a photo taken in a canoe, in front of a backdrop of Algonquin Park, proved to be fun and popular. And making ‘smores over an open fire was probably the most popular spot – especially as the sky darkened and the lights of the Toronto skyline created a spectacular show. It was a magical moment.

Ontario Parks offered some great prizes for the social media contest. Participants were asked to snap a photo at one (or more) of the five exhibit booths, and use the hashtag #OP125 plus @OntarioParks to post to Twitter or Instagram. Prizes included:

• Winter Getaway – Enjoy some peace and quiet away from the city this winter during a 2 night stay in a cozy yurt @ Algonquin Provincial Park. You can cross-country ski, snowshoe, bird watch, and take in the tranquil solitude of winter at Algonquin.
• Fall Harvest – Celebrate fall at the Bronte Creek Fall Harvest Festival! They’ve got pumpkins, wagon rides, apple cider, and more! This prize includes a 2 night stay in a yurt from Sept 22-24 during the Fall Harvest Festival.
• Learn to Camp – Enjoy a weekend getaway with Ontario Parks’ Learn to Camp program! During Learn to Camp you will learn everything you need to know to go camping on your own. You can pitch a tent, build a campfire, and even make s’mores! This prize is a complimentary Learn to Camp experience redeemable in 2018.
• 2 Ontario Parks merchandise packages
• 2 complimentary Parkbus tickets

Better Places Travel also sponsored prizes. Better Places Travel connects travellers with local experts, offering unique, high-quality travel experiences focused around nature and the local population. The company just launched their English website and wants to work with travel bloggers. They contributed several prizes, including 10 refillable and reusable Dopper Bottles, which were given out as door prizes. And a grand prize for the best photo of Trillium Park was two Dopper bottles and a certificate for a 2-night stay in an eco-lodge in one of the Better Places Travel destinations.

Also need to give a shout to the catering company, who provided upscale picnic foods that were healthy and delicious, and served mocktails like virgin Bloody Caesars and some spiked with classic Canadian ingredients like maple syrup. And special thanks to our wonderful volunteers Andrea Rees, Natalie Taylor and Natalia Dziubaniwsky.

Encouraging Responsible Travel

As the evening was themed around responsible travel and sustainable tourism, Toronto Travel Massive co-founder Mariellen Ward read out a message from one of Canada’s leading experts, Rachel Dodds of Sustainable Tourism, and offered some travel tips, which you can access here: Sustainable Tourism responsible travel tips.

The letter from Rachel Dodds: “Welcome. I am truly sorry I could not be here with you today. I am currently in Juneau, Alaska helping to work with the U.S. forestry service revision their tourism product as their main attraction, the glacier, is receding. They get 400,000 passengers a day from cruise tourism yet the community is become antagonistic and many are wondering, are the impacts of tourism all beneficial?

This is just one of the problems we face today and a key reason tourism needs to become more sustainable. Many of you are hearing about ecotourism, but I think the most overlooked issue is people only focusing on the small scale.

All tourism needs to become more sustainable, not just the small lodge in the Amazon rainforest including the big hotels, resorts, attractions, cruise ships, city destinations, ski destinations, sun destinations, etc.

Tourism has a huge impact because we transport people to the point of consumption.  We try to find the untouched, special, destination but then tell everyone we know about it and then it becomes overbooked and no longer the same experience.

Responsible travel tips

So what can we do? Be conscious. For example, recycling alone is not the answer. Your actions and impacts are not nullified because you recycled that plastic water bottle: don’t use one to begin with. The three R’s I was taught as a child was

1. Reduce then …
2. Reuse … and finally if all else fails …
3. Recycle

We need to lower our impact on the world and convince others to do the same. And please do remember that it is also about what we do when we come home.”

On the Sustainable Tourism, Rachel lists several ways to be a responsible traveller. Many of the tips are common sense things we can all do such as don’t litter, avoid excessive waste, and especially avoid using plastic water bottles, straws, and bags. Plus:

• Educate yourself about the place you are visiting and the people.
• Respect cultural differences – and learn from it! People in different places do things differently – don’t try to change them, enjoy them
• Dress respectively. Cover up away from the beach. Cover your head in religious places. Notice local dress codes and adhere to them.
• Do not purchase or eat endangered species (e.g. turtle egg soup, crocodile handbags). Choose sustainable seafood
• Support the local economy. Buy locally made souvenirs, eat at local restaurants – enjoy the local culture!
• Do not give pens, candy or other gifts to local children – it fosters a begging economy. If you wish to donate, contact a local school or tour operator who can ensure the gifts are distributed fairly and properly.
• Always ask before taking photographs. If someone says no, respect their wishes.

About Ontario Parks

Ontario Parks is the largest provider of outdoor recreation in the province. There are over 330 provincial parks to choose from, with over 8 million ha of protected land. Each park offers something different and exciting. Whether you want to camp, hike, fish, swim, cycle, or paddle… There is a park to satisfy your thirst for adventure. Learn more here.

About Trillium Park

The Trillium Park and William G. Davis Trail is 7.5 acres of public green space on a spectacular part of Toronto’s waterfront. Previously a parking lot, it’s now full of life, ready to be enjoyed by morning joggers, picnic-goers, strolling families and everyone in between.

The 1.3 kilometre trail is named in honour of Bill Davis, who was the Premier when Ontario Place first opened in 1971. It’s surrounded by thousands of native trees, plants, flowers and beautiful sedimentary rocks and boulders. Inspired by the Ontario landscape itself, the park was designed in consultation with people from across Ontario, including the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation. It’s a breathtaking tribute to our province and a gift to the people who love it. Learn more here.

Mariellen Ward is the co-founder of Toronto Travel Massive and Delhi Travel Massive. She is an award-winning travel writer and digital storyteller. Her travel site Breathedreamgo is one of the leading sites about travel in India. Mariellen splits her time between Canada (summer) and India (winter).

Photo credits: Mariellen Ward and Evan Holt for Ontario Parks.