Our History

Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site is relatively young compared to many other national parks in Canada. The first steps toward its formation were taken in the mid 1980's, and the management of the area is still being refined today. However, even before this Park Reserve was formed, tourists were drawn here by the exceptional wilderness adventure and cultural history. In 1992 Parks Canada implemented a quota system and gave each existing tour operator an allocation of visitor days for use each year. These were the only operators allowed to run tours in Gwaii Haanas until 2008, when three new businesses were licenced.

Even before Gwaii Haanas was recongized as a Park Reserve, the tour operators in the area often worked together and cooperated to improve their visitors' experience of the area and preserve the area for future use. With the formalization of the Park Reserve, the tour operators also formalized their network to become the Gwaii Haanas Tour Operators Association (GHTOA).

One of the main reasons for the formation of GHTOA was to create a united voice with which tour operators could communicate with the Archipelago Management Board, which is the 4-person board that manages the Park Reserve. The Archipelago Management Board is made up of two representatives of Parks Canada and two representatives of the Council of the Haida Nation. This management structure is designed to balance the goals of Parks Canada with the goals of the Haida people who have tradionally occupied the area, and is unique to Gwaii Haanas. This exeptional management structure can present challenges at times, but also has the potential to provide an example of successful cooperative management to the rest of the world.

With so many voices trying to be heard in Gwaii Haanas, it is important to remember the importance of providing a unique and wonderful experience to each and every visitor who travels from afar to enjoy these islands. The majority of visitors to Gwaii Haanas travel with operators who are members of GHTOA. Because of this, some of GHTOA's most important goals are to foster quality, ethics and communication amongst Gwaii Haanas tour operators and to represent the interests of the tour operators, their clients and the public to the Haida Nation, the Federal Government, and the B.C. Government. GHTOA aslo seeks to develop an equitable relationship with the Archipelago Management Board where the tour operators' and their clients' concerns are acknowledged and solutions are sought.

GHTOA members are in a unique position to provide valuable advice and ideas to the Archipelago Management Board due to their long history in the area, and their constant interaction with the visitors who come to experience the area. We hope that by sharing our knowledge and experience we can help to make the Gwaii Haanas experience even more exeptional.