The idea that tourism is a system has been around for a while. Morrison and Mill wrote the first edition of The Tourism System in 1985 - and they weren't the first to recognize the concept. Since then there have been advances - Louise Twining Ward - added that tourism was a Complex and Adaptive System and Noel Scott and his colleagues have done great work on understanding the dynamics within these networks. So - if we know its a system - why don't we treat it like one ?...

22 May, 2015 /

When we talk about sustainability's triple bottom line - people, planet, profits - it can sometimes seem vague. But DMOs work on practical sustainability issues everyday. Visitors come to see out environment and experience our culture.  Celebrating, promoting and preserving the culture and heritage of a destination is a task that DMOs can get behind. That is why the Arts Destination Marketing Award -  awarded to DMOs and Local Arts Agencies using arts to support destination marketing - is sustainability at its best. Well done DMAI and Americans for the Arts...

19 May, 2015 /

Tourism is a system. A big, complex, ever changing, system. Within the tourism system are thousands of embedded systems. Each destination, each distribution channel, each sector - is a system. Each system is unique. ...

12 May, 2015 /

Companies wishing to be socially responsible face a world of good and important causes. Over the last few months I have been looking at Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in the tourism industry and I have been amazed at the wide number of issues that fall under the topic of CSR.  Clearly, no company can address every issue - we simply can't be everything to everyone. Choosing "the fights' that are important to the company and its stakeholders is critical in managing this process. A recent article on adding discipline to...

13 August, 2014 /

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 /

There is real skepticism that companies can do well and do good. When discussion turns to the socially responsible actions of a company it seems inevitable that the motives of the company will be brought into question. The typical comment goes something like " sure - they are the greenest company around...

27 April, 2012 /

Brand USA, the new national tourism office of the United States, launched the new campaign Land of Dreams this week. The feedback in the industry so far seems to have been pretty positive - view the first ad for yourself at Land of Dreams ...

26 April, 2012 /

This week, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Marriott CEO to be, Arne Sorenson, declared  this is the beginning of a Golden Age of Travel. He quoted from new research that shows that leaders from around the world see Tourism as not only a means of economic growth, but a way to increase cultural awareness and pathway to peace. It is great to see an industry leaders standing up and sharing a vision of the industry that transends the issues we all deal with day to day. I really...

28 January, 2012 /
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