7 minute read
Cruise Focus
COMMITTED TO SUSTAINABILITY
At Port Saint John, Canada's shifting strategic priorities towards sustainability have trickled down into cruise practices, writes Michele Witthaus
Photo: Port of Saint John
Port Saint John is found on the Bay of Fundy as part of the Canada-New England cruise itinerary, offering visitors access to the highest tides in the world. The port handled 25.9 million metric tonnes of cargo in 2020 and when cruise resumes following the Covid-19 pandemic, it will welcome its cumulative three-millionth guest.
Saint John, New Brunswick has a long-standing industrial reputation, says Paula Copeland, director, communications and corporate social responsibility.
“Much of our local workforce is employed in the trades and we pride ourselves on putting our nose to the grindstone and getting the job done. In recent years sustainability has become part of our character with solar panels, bike paths and electric car charging stations, all found within five minutes from our port.”
BIRTH OF A CRUISE DESTINATION
The Port Saint John cruise story began unexpectedly in 1989 when the Cunard Princess cruise ship called on the port. The ship was originally headed to tropical Bermuda but diverted when a hurricane came into the weather forecast and Saint John was chosen as an alternate location. Today, the world's largest cruise lines call on Saint John. Since 1989, more than 1,200 cruise ships have visited the port and 1 in 10 jobs in the region are tourism-related.
“As we seek to continue to grow our cruise sector in the future, it is now formally ingrained in our corporate identity and priorities to be environmentally and sustainability-minded stewards of the Bay of Fundy,” says Natalie Allaby, cruise development manager at Port Saint John.
“Sustainability considerations and overall business growth now go hand in hand when decision making and executing our cruise development initiatives.”
Some of the attractions Greater Saint John has to offer are historic architecture, amazing seafood and many outdoor activities which correlate with the highest tides in the world found in the Bay of Fundy. Guests can walk on the ocean floor while tides are out and explore caves by foot then, just a couple of hours later, kayak into the same caves. Saint John is known for its residents' friendly, welcoming attitudes, which rings true for many Atlantic Canadian provinces.
SHIFTING PRIORITIES
With a strong focus on strategic priorities, the Port Saint John team is committed to a high-performance standard in operating. Not only do the strategic priorities guide the business, but they are also incorporated into yearly planning by all 42 employees at the port, so everyone's yearly goals reflect one or more of the strategic priorities. Tying performance to the strategic priorities both organisationally and personally leads to a high level of adoption and stronger results.
Each year, the organisation’s strategic priorities are reviewed and adjusted accordingly. It was during the 2015 review that sustainability and environment were added as top of mind for the port
“Focusing on our key priorities and structuring our work plans around them, keeps our vision for what the port aspires to be front and centre, for not only our Board and management and our employees but also with port and community stakeholders,” says CEO, Jim Quinn.
Each year, the organisation's strategic priorities are reviewed
8 A ‘triple cruise’ day
at Port Saint John
and adjusted accordingly. It was during the 2015 review that sustainability and environment were added as top of mind for the port. Today, the port's strategic priorities encompass four areas: Economic Value; Sustainable Development and Innovation; Safety and Environment; and Community.
“We view sustainable development to cover not only environmental sustainability but economic and social as well,” says Ms Copeland.
As evidence of the strategic priorities at work, the cruise sector of the port has implemented many sustainable improvements over the years. The cruise team has received training from the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GTSC) to help take their commitment to sustainability to the next level. The training introduced the pillars that make up the foundation of becoming a certified sustainable destination. Overall management and engagement with stakeholders, cultural considerations, socio-economic considerations, and environmental considerations were all explored.
“An important learning was how the four criteria areas must all work in harmony with one another” says Ms Allaby.
“Doing well in one focus area cannot sacrifice the sustainability of another. We often think of sustainability efforts as simply green or environmental initiatives - it is much broader and deeper than that and it's a big undertaking if organisations and an entire destination want to become certified. The course certainly gave me lots of insights to reflect on as we become more sustainability-minded at Port Saint John, while also wanting to achieve business growth.”
ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
During triple cruise ship days in Saint John, it is not uncommon to have more than 10,000 visitors exploring the city. This results in increased waste and need for transportation in the city core. To combat this problem, the port has improved its waste reception facilities and added more waste sorting bins on port property. The port community also works together to lead green waste initiatives such as solar-powered waste contracting systems.
To combat the pollution from tour buses in the city, Port Saint John implemented a 'no idle' zone where buses wait for tour guests. The City also created Harbour Passage, a bike and walking path along the waterfront, to encourage visitors to explore the area through active transportation. Harbour Passage has been elongated multiple times and continues to be an opportunity for growth for active transportation in the region.
To ensure continuous improvement in this area, the port is pursuing ISO 14001 certification in 2021 and in 2020, it benchmarked social responsibility practices using ISO 26000.
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL SUSTAINABILITY
Many of Port Saint John's local businesses rely on cruise for a large portion of their annual revenue. The suspension of cruise activity due to Covid-19 has been especially hard for them.
“We are working with our community in a new way this year by creating the Business and Community Liaison Committee consisting of a dozen members from economic development, business associations, community groups and other cruise tourism stakeholders,” says Ms Allaby.
The committee has monthly meetings where members can provide input and share feedback on overall cruise sentiment and the current focus, cruise resumption. Once cruise returns to the port, this committee will shift its focus to other relevant issues and initiatives to keep the focus on sustainable growth of cruise in the region.
Ms Copeland adds: “The input of the local community and stakeholders is critically important to the port and each year, through a process of inclusion, we hold meetings and conduct surveys - to ensure we understand their needs and concerns with all areas of our business, including cruise.”
In recent years, Port Saint John's surveys have shown that both stakeholders and community want the port to act on environmental and social matters. As a result, when decisions are made, their viewpoints are brought to the table.
8 Tourists explore
Hopewell Rocks at low tide
INVESTING IN THE FUTURE
To ensure that cruise lines continue to view Saint John as a top destination, the port has created a new position on its team, titled Customer Experience Coordinator. Included in the responsibilities of the Customer Experience Coordinator is leading initiatives to make sure cruise guests have the best experience possible while visiting the region. This is all part of the effort to secure the future sustainability of cruise in Saint John.
Like many cruise destinations, Port Saint John experiences the majority of its cruise activity over a short period during the cruise season. Historically, two-thirds of yearly cruise ship visits have occurred in the fall during a six-week period, which the port has long been keen to extend.
“When cruise resumes, the port plans once again to be working to increase summer visitation to evenly distribute the impact of cruise on our community,” says Ms Allaby.
“Our main cruise focus at Port Saint John currently is a safe resumption when Canadian waters are opened once again to cruise ships. While we wait, we are committed to improving the overall sustainability of our practices - environmentally, economically and socially.”
