Traveling to islands can take us to new worlds and allow us to experience completely different ways of life. Escaping to an island can be rejuvenating and inspiring. Yet small island states face great challenges as we enter the middle decades of the 21st century. In a recent annotated review [1], I highlighted a number of challenges, including habitat preservation, pollution issues, and, of course, climate change. Islands are facing some of the greatest climate crisis challenges – from more powerful hurricanes and cyclones to rising sea levels. Exacerbating the...

09 October, 2023 /

The summer of 2023 will be remembered for the devastating fires impacting communities around the world. The images of destruction from Maui, Canada, and the Greek Islands are each seared in our minds. Many of these fires took place in communities that welcome visitors, highlighting the intersection of natural disasters and tourism.   As we think about how these places will rebuild, I recall lessons from Australia’s Bushfire Season of 2019. The fires that Summer (Southern Hemisphere) ravaged much of the country, including Lamington National Park in Queensland. For...

04 September, 2023 /

Conventions come, conventions go, and except for the money the conference attendees spend, too often, these meetings have little impact on the community. But what if it was about more the money the conference and its attendees contribute to the economy? What if conventions were a catalyst for learning and skill development beyond the walls of the conference center? What if conventions positively changed the destination community and improved the quality of life? The Glasgow Convention Bureau (GCB) has a program designed to do just that. GCB encourages conferences...

03 June, 2023 /

Looking at the definitions of the terms “sustainable tourism” and “regenerative tourism”, you may be hard-pressed to see a difference.  And the outcomes, if implemented as originally envisioned, would be similar. In some ways, the excitement for regenerative approaches is a reaction to what sustainability has become to a large group of people. For many, sustainability has become a set of things to do not to make things worse. It is perceived to bounded by specific sets of criteria. For many, the term “sustainability” lacks inspiration – to sustain...

12 November, 2022 /

Planning for (Sustainable Tourism) Success Sustainable tourism is about maximizing the benefits of tourism while minimizing negative impacts. It’s easier said than done. Sustainable tourism requires planning. But what needs to be planned for in a good sustainable tourism plan?  The Global Sustainable Tourism Council Destination Criteria talks a lot about planning for sustainability success. Plans included in the GSTC criteria: Visitor ManagementSafety and Security PlansWorkforce DevelopmentCultural heritage protectionEnvironmentEncourage Tourism Businesses to Adopt Sustainable Tourism PracticesRisk and Crisis ManagementClimate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Check out our analysis of the GSTC Destination Criteria....

24 October, 2022 /

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 /

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 /

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 /

What does it look like when climate change starts to impact the tourism system? The conversation about the impacts of climate change on the economy has begun. Often these conversations talk about impacts on a wide range of businesses, but tourism and hospitality are often an important part of the story. This article from American Public Media’s Marketplace "More frequent, extreme heatwaves linked to workplace injuries" is a good example – raising issues around workplace conditions as temperatures increase. Several states – including California, Oregon, and Washington, have implemented new...

28 July, 2021 /

Destinations, where sustainable tourism is thriving, have a range of programs that contribute to the sustainability of the destination community. It is important to note that these programs aren’t just activities that the Destination Management Organization runs – they can be initiated by a range of organizations (some of which may not even consider themselves part of the tourism Industry. During some recent analysis of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council’s Destination Criteria I conducted with Jennifer Romanchek, we identified the following programs that represent a foundation for destination-based sustainable...

16 July, 2021 /
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