Bain and Company, one of the world's leading consultancy companies, recently released their report - "Great Green Talent Machine" touting the importance of CSR in recruiting talent. This is the latest in a series of articles and papers highlighting the importance of corporate reputation and values, often best expressed through their CSR activities, as a factor in attracting talent. So what if you are the "talent"? You are attracted to the company and now you want to work with them. How do you get the job ? What do recruiters...

14 September, 2013 /

I love getting out into nature. It refreshes and invigorates me. Many of my favorite memories include visits to national parks - in both Australia and the US.  My love of nature also inspires my concern for sustainability. So - I worry that fewer people are visiting national parks and natural places. It isn't surprising - most camping experiences are really only appealing to a relatively small group of people. Most camp grounds I've been to have basic facilities at best ( and filthy disgusting facilities at worst), require campers...

25 August, 2013 /

Most destinations marketers are familiar with the principles of target marketing. Targeting the right message to move a specific group of consumers through the buying process is standard operating practice at most DMOs. It is surprising how few DMOs use the same principles of targeting their message to specific groups within the destination. Often the communication with these stakeholder groups is “one size fits all”. Of course, “one size fits all” normally means that no one is getting what they need. This point was made clear to me during a...

12 August, 2013 /

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is one of the key drivers of sustainable tourism. The tourism system involves many actors all working to deliver a customer experience. There is little in the way of "top down, command and control" in tourism.  So - without the active participation of companies - and the managers that run those companies - it is difficult to imagine the tourism system becoming more sustainable. In a recent study led by Diana Chan Yu, we examined the drivers of Corporate Social Responsibility in hotels in China....

01 June, 2013 /

http://www.boeing.com/stories/videos/vid_17_ecodemonstrator.html Air travel is the biggest single contributor to Greenhouse Gases in the tourism system. Airplane manufacturers work to reduce emissions even as demand for new plans increases. Nice to see some progress...

29 May, 2013 /

Flipping through the pages of most high end consumer travel magazines - Travel and Leisure, Conde Nast Travel and the like - exposes the curious to some of the most luxurious brands on the planet. These magazines are the showcases for some of today's most upmarket consumer brands and the content of the magazines - both the editorial and the advertising - reflect the interests of these affluent readers. At first glance- it may seem that these interests are exclusively self centered but a closer examination shows that issues of...

27 January, 2013 /

I remember the conversation vividly. We were driving to University, making small talk and the question came up "when do you know you are an adult?" I was pretty sure I felt adult at the time ...

30 July, 2012 /

Sustainable tourism definitions almost always combine two big, important ideas. The first idea comes from the Brundtland Report - Our Common Future - in which they say sustainable development  "meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs" . The second big idea is John Elkington's 'Triple Bottom Line" that requires consideration of not only the "profits" but "people" and "planet" as well. These big ideas provide a great foundation but they also present a real challenge for anyone attempting to develop...

30 June, 2012 /

The Global Sustainable Tourism Council is currently seeking public input on a set of criteria for destinations aiming for sustainability. The criteria - designed to be the "minimum" set of activities  - will challenge many destinations and hopefully spur them on to greater efforts. The criteria presented by GSTC create a great - and comprehensive - list of things every destination should be thinking about to ensure that the long-term benefits of tourism are realised. With so many of us so busy on the challenges of the "small stuff" in the  inbox this list...

01 June, 2012 /

To many, tourism is an economic savior that can bring jobs and opportunity. Indeed there are tourism opportunities everywhere and markets for most any type of experience. But not all markets are the same and not all destinations have the ability to service the markets they want to attract. I have been thinking a lot about the  "human traffic jam" on Everest this week and the tourists who undertake this type of travel. The market for this type of experience is somewhat limited by all sorts of factors - money, health, access,...

28 May, 2012 /
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