Webinar: Driving bookings with sustainability certification

About the webinar:

Expectations around sustainability claims are rising, and so is the payoff for getting them right. Canada's Bill C-59 amendments to the Competition Act and the EU's Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive (EmpCo) have changed what the tourism businesses can say about their environmental performance, and how they need to back it up. At the same time, travellers, corporate buyers, and booking platforms are asking for credible proof rather than promises, and increasingly, that proof is shaping where tourists are choosing to visit and stay.

This discussion brings together perspectives from across the tourism sector, on how to substantiate sustainability claims, what travellers and guests are asking for, and what role internationally recognized certification plays in sustainability performance, booking demand and credibility.

Moderated by:

Angela Nagy, Founder and CEO, GreenStep

Featuring discussions with:

Thomas Loughlin, Senior Manager, Travel Product Sustainability, Booking.com

Fanny Beaulieu Cormier, Senior Sustainability Advisor, Tourisme Montréal

Angela Nagy

President and CEO, GreenStep

Angela Nagy is President and CEO of GreenStep, which she launched in 2008. GreenStep owns the GreenStep Sustainable Tourism Standard, recognized by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council, and is the only Canadian GSTC-Recognized Standard Owner offering GSTC Certification through its own Canadian-made standard.

With over 25 years of sustainability experience, Angela has co-founded non-profits, served on multiple boards, and was elected as a Kelowna City Councillor on a platform of sustainability. Her cross-sector expertise shapes GreenStep's programs, from EcoBase and EcoFund to the Sustainable Tourism Pathway and GSTC Certification, giving tourism businesses a practical route from first assessment to internationally recognized certification.

Thomas Loughlin

Senior Manager, Travel Product Sustainability, Booking.com

As Senior Manager, Travel Product Sustainability at Booking.com, Thomas Loughlin leverages 20+ years of experience in travel and hospitality to empower travel partners and travellers to navigate their respective sustainability journeys. A Dublin Institute of Technology graduate with a master's in tourism and business, Thomas leads Booking.com's more sustainable offerings program, driving product innovation and partner education. Thomas is passionate about finding solutions to the barriers both partners and travellers face when making more sustainable choices.

Fanny Beaulieu Cormier

Senior Sustainability Consultant, Tourisme Montréal

Fanny has specialized in sustainable tourism for over eight years and is engaged in sustainable development and climate change adaptation for ten years. She has developed several training programs, participated as a panelist or moderator for various conferences on the subject, and implemented several projects. She is now Senior Sustainability Advisor at Tourisme Montréal, where one of her tasks has been to codevelop and implement a strategy towards a more sustainable tourism.

She acts as a resource to ensure the implementation of initiatives that help organizations carry out their socio-ecological transition. With a background in communications, her second area of expertise is responsible communication. She helps the industry find effective ways to share its actions.