A society to implement the recommendations of the Heritage Tourism Strategy will soon exist if all goes according to plan.
People involved with the strategy have applied to create a Heritage Tourism Society, says Heather DuDoward, chair of the strategy's volunteer working group. The process is underway within the communities to have a board appointed by mid-July 2003.
The board likely will have 14 seats, half for Haida residents and half for other islanders. The board would be responsible for realizing the strategy's vision of tourism on the islands. "The Heritage Tourism Strategy working group and the communities they represent have agreed that the Haida Gwaii/Queen Charlotte Islands Heritage Tourism Society Board will be the umbrella organization that tourism functions under," says Ms DuDoward.
The tourism strategy working group began two years ago to create a strategy guiding tourism on the islands, says Ms DuDoward.
The group presented its finished document to islanders last February. Some of the actions the group recommends include creating a system to identify businesses that support strategy, consultation with the Haida community about how to protect Haida culture and values, consultation with other islands residents about post-European contact history, and creating a code of ethics to preserve local culture and ecosystems.
As well as creating a society and board, the group is looking for money. It hopes to hire an administrator to carry on the day to day operations of the society, says Ms DuDoward.