My team in Purdue's Sustainable Tourism and Responsible Travel Lab are doing fantastic work. Check out this introduction to our work that recently aired on the Big 10 network...

19 August, 2019 /

We live at a time of incredible travel freedoms. If you have the time and money, you can go almost anywhere. ( We'll talk in another post about issues around time, money and travel another time). With these freedoms, comes responsibility. As a traveler, you are visiting someone else's community. Your journey of discovery or relaxation takes place in a destination community where people live their lives. Your freedom to visit is based on their hospitality - don't take it for granted. With the freedom to visit...

17 August, 2019 /

Climate change is finally on the US travel industry radar with two important studies highlighting increasing consumer awareness of the impacts of changing climates on travel and destinations. MMGY Global's Portrait of the American Traveler shows 48% of travelers agree that climate change will have a significant influence on what destinations they want to visit in the next 5-10 years. These findings were consistent with Destination Analysts' State of the American Traveler - Destinations Edition , which shows 50% of American leisure travelers expect that climate change will impact...

09 August, 2019 /

Monterey is a leader in promoting responsible travel. Their "Sustainable Moments" tips help travelers minimize the negative impacts of travel. Monterey County Convention and Visitors Bureau (MCCVB), the Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) for the region, has been an important catalyst in developing this program. They work with the destination community, particularly the tourism industry, to help them encourage responsible travel. While sustainability is always a team effort, MCCVB shows some of the ways DMOs can make a difference. Enjoy this video featuring their groundbreaking program. https://youtu.be/1xY9bh-Ns3A Credit...

09 June, 2019 /

[caption id="attachment_748" align="alignleft" width="228"] Plastic Bottles on the road to Everest[/caption] It is rare that we ever pay the full cost of a product. The reality of this fact came to me as I was walking through the SolumKumba in Nepal last month and bought water in a plastic bottle of water. Sure, the water was more expensive in the village – almost 4 times more expensive as down in Kathmandu – but that was understandable given the transportation costs of getting the water to me. It had come by...

24 August, 2018 /

2017 is the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for development. Sustainable tourism is being touted as an important tool in development. Why tourism? The United Nations gives 5 reasons: Tourism can create inclusive and sustainable economic growth Tourism can increase inclusiveness, employment and contribute to poverty reduction Tourism can contribute to resource efficiency, environmental protection and reducing climate change Tourism can help us appreciate cultural values, diversity and heritage and Tourism can lead to greater mutual understanding, peace and security. But introducing or increasing tourism doesn’t automatically create these...

22 March, 2017 /

Tourism is the largest industry in the world - and yet it is still called the "invisible industry". Well - maybe it isn't invisible - but it is hidden in plain site. Tourism and the visitor economy is right under our noses - but we don't recognize it. In some ways this lack of awareness starts in school. For example, as a school kid, we went on field trips and camps and we often seemed to find ourselves at farms set up to welcome students and show them agriculture. While I...

14 May, 2015 /

Sustainability and Social Responsibility are are the driving force behind the Top 5 trends in restaurants in the U.S. according to the National Restaurant Association. The top food trends, according to the  National Restaurant Association Culinary Forecast 2015 are locally sourced meat, seafood and produce and environmental sustainability. Why do DMO managers need to know this ? Because this trend is helping them meet their goals of improving the economic and social well being of their destination communities.  We are all becoming familiar with infographics touting the economic benefits of tourism....

13 May, 2015 /

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 /
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