Stewardship is not a frequently used word. Stewardship means “taking care of something.” Wikipedia says, “Stewardship is an ethical value that embodies the responsible planning and management of resources.” In recent years, the term has become more common as the notion that we are the stewards of our planet and everything on it gains traction. Recognizing that we are stewards and responsible for our outcomes is important as we mature in our thinking about our actions. For tourism, discussions about destination stewardship are coming to the fore. So what...

11 October, 2022 /

Over the years there have been many discussions about what constitutes sustainable tourism. There is no doubt that these are important conversations, and yet, I am amazed at how little time we spend on addressing how to implement sustainable tourism in businesses and destination communities. Introducing sustainability in tourism requires a wide range of skills. The following list is far from comprehensive but gives a flavor of knowledge and abilities required by sustainable tourism practitioners. Change management skillsInternal and external communication skillsStrategic planning Ability to execute tactical actionscommitment...

05 October, 2022 /

In recent weeks I've been inspired by James Clear's Atomic Habits. One quote that stands out to me is "You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fail to the level of your systems". Sustainable tourism is complex and complicated. Certifications create systems that help businesses and destinations work through the complexity and achieve their goals. ...

20 September, 2022 /

One of the most compelling ideas in sustainability has been Elkington’s “Triple Bottom Line”. The idea has its origins in accounting – where income minus expenses reveal “a bottom line” that shows either a profit or a loss. The idea that we could consider positive and negative outcomes from economic, social/cultural, and environmental impacts to give us a sense of whether we doing well or not has become ubiquitous. While there are issues with the TBL (Elkington himself tried to “recall it”), it certainly helped conceptualize the challenge...

27 August, 2022 /

Simon Sinek, who wrote the book on infinite games, contrasts finite and infinite games as follows: Finite Games are defined by known players, fixed rules, and an agreed-upon objective. Infinite Games have known and unknown players, the rules can change, and the objective is not to “win” but to keep playing the game. Infinite games include business, careers, marriages, geopolitics… you get the idea. Unfortunately – too often we play infinite games as though they are finite games. Tourism is an infinite game. What could be a better way to achieve...

19 May, 2022 /

It is always smart to start with Why. Simon Sinek says that to ensure our work is meaningful, it is critical we understand our purpose. We must be able to answer the “why” of our work. The answer to why we do something is far more important than what we do or how we do things. This is true for destination marketing organizations. While many DMO managers are very effective at promoting tourism to their destinations, it is less common to embed the purpose of our work in what we...

16 May, 2022 /

Should I travel if my travel contributes to climate change? Tourism certainly contributes to climate change. Air travel in particular generates significant amounts of greenhouse gases. It is important that the industry acts and uses all its influence to change parts of eth tourism system that contribute to the climate crisis. To make significant change requires system change. We need to change our sources of energy from fossil fuels to renewables, we need to improve the energy efficiency of hotels and other buildings, and we need to transition our...

06 January, 2022 /

There is real action taking place in the business travel supply chain as corporations and their tourism suppliers work to address climate change. Businesses are signaling the importance of sustainability – and particularly carbon emission reporting – as important criteria for future purchase decisions. A recent article in Business Travel News on this year’s RFP season highlighted the emergence of sustainability as an important new trend for businesses negotiating their lodging contracts. As with any period of change, there is messiness as the supply chain members work to align. Buyers...

17 October, 2021 /

Who is tourism for? For the longest time, the answer for this question has been it is for the traveler. Tourism has oriented itself to the satisfaction of travelers’ desires with the general idea that the customer is right, and their needs must always take precedence. After all – they are paying for the travel – right? But one of the clear trends from the pandemic reset is that many destinations are rethinking their response to this question. The emerging answer is that tourism is for the benefit of...

11 September, 2021 /

With freedom comes responsibility. As travelers, we have never had more freedom to explore the world – but with that freedom comes a responsibility to be good guests and care for the places we visit. Sustainability in the tourism system requires everyone to do their part… including travelers. There is no doubt that tourism that is completely traveler-centric at the expense of host communities and the environment - needs a “rethink”. But it doesn’t help to shame tourists. Research shows us that people want to travel more sustainably. But like...

10 August, 2021 /
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