Sustainable tourism management requires careful planning according to our recent study of the GSTC Destination Criteria. Core to sustainable tourism planning is the development of a Destination Management Strategy designed to support the long-term sustainability of the destination community. These strategies should be: Suited to the scale of the destinationDeveloped with stakeholders and publicly availableBased on sustainability principles andAlign with other sustainability plans in the community. So what things should destinations be including in their plans? Our review of the destination criteria suggest that plans should be in place to: Protect the...

10 January, 2021 /

Sustainable tourism management incorporates a wide range of tasks – from environmental performance management to regulations supporting social justice. The Global Sustainable Tourism Council organizes their criteria into 4 categories - sustainable management, socio-economic sustainability, cultural sustainability, and environmental sustainability. In a recent analysis of the GSTC Destination criteria, undergraduate researcher, Jennifer Romanchek, and I examined the criteria from a different perspective.  We categorized the criteria as: People and TeamworkPlanning for Sustainable Tourism in DestinationsPolicy Framework for Sustainable TourismPrograms in the Destination that support Sustainable TourismPerformance Management to achieve...

02 December, 2020 /

Regenerative tourism is having its moment. Through the pandemic year of 2020, there are have been strong calls for tourism to "build back better" – and regenerative tourism provides insights into what we should do. Regenerative Tourism at the Tipping Point While the term may seem new, it builds on several significant trends that have been around for some time. The regenerative movement is well established in agriculture, architecture, and even town planning. We already see regenerative approaches applied in tourism. Buildings that not only reduce negative impacts but contribute...

29 November, 2020 /

100 days into the pandemic it’s fair to say that the world has changed. While the recovery may have setbacks and restarts, we will move forward. In time, we will get our tourism and hospitality industry workers back on the job, our businesses operating, and our destinations welcoming visitors again. There is a desire by many to rebuild our damaged industry as quickly as possible, recreating it the way it was. But just coming back the same isn’t good enough.  I am encouraged by the chorus of voices calling...

28 June, 2020 /

Sustainable tourism, at is simplest, is a set of activities designed to maximize the benefits of tourism.  Making sure we maximize the benefits of tourism, and minimize the negatives, particularly for host communities, is hard to argue against. So why don’t we see more great examples of sustainable tourism? Sustainable tourism is a wicked problem. Wicked problems are both complicated and complex. Sustainable tourism is complicated because, to achieve its promise, there are many things to do. Fortunately, over the last 4o years we’ve got a pretty good idea of what...

23 May, 2020 /

What will you change to help address the climate emergency? What are you doing to meet the Sustainable Development Goals? Traveling responsibly is a good place to start. If you are thinking about how you will make your travel more sustainable, consider the tips in the Travel Care Code. Your travel can be more sustainable with just a little mindfulness. Safe travels! ...

02 January, 2020 /

"With freedom comes responsibility" Eleanor Roosevelt. The ability to travel freely is an amazing privilege for a growing number of people. The growth of travel is a testament to both the lowering of barriers to travel and the increasing wealth of many around the world. As we wrap up the second decade of the 21st Century, I believe that the last decade has seen a growing awareness that, with the freedom that enables the growth of tourism, travelers and other tourism system members must take greater responsibility for...

01 January, 2020 /

The great migration of Chinese people from the countryside to cities is one of the most incredible things of the last 50 years. The growth of cities has transformed China in many ways. It is not surprising that Chinese people today look to their village roots with great nostalgia. Push back on urbanization has happened in other cultures. In England, the Romantic movement responded to industrialization and the fascination with cowboys and The West happened as the importance of cities grew in the US.    In a recent study...

20 November, 2019 /

It made a splash! Earlier this summer, the Business Roundtable (BRT) redefined the purpose of a corporation.  The corporations of the business roundtable stated: While each of our individual companies serves its own corporate purpose, we share a fundamental commitment to all of our stakeholders. We commit to: Delivering value to our customers. We will further the tradition of American companies leading the way in meeting or exceeding customer expectations. Investing in our employees. This starts with compensating them fairly and providing important benefits. It also includes supporting them through training...

17 October, 2019 /

A Themed Edition of International Journal of Tourism Cities Editors: Dr. Jonathon Day, Purdue University | Prof Alastair Morrison, Purdue University | Assoc Prof Andres Coca-Stefaniak, University of Greenwich Theme: With the growth of cities and the increasing urban tourism, the sustainability of urban tourism systems has never been more important. Traditionally, research on sustainable tourism has focused on issues in rural and natural locations but the principles of sustainable tourism can – and must - be applied to cities and urban metropolises. Sustainable tourism practices incorporate...

10 September, 2019 /
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