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 /

Ensuring that tourism is truly sustainable - improving the lives of travellers and people in the destination communities – is a team effort. All the tourism system members must contribute in their own way to achieve the best possible outcomes. Travellers must be part of the solution. As Jane Goodall says, “ You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make”. Each traveller...

25 June, 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 /

If you start with two terms that aren’t well understood its not surprising that combining them into a single term can lead to confusion. “Sustainability” is term that is frequently used but seldom understood. “Tourism” is a complex activity and - while many have traveled – few have thought about the many moving parts of the tourism system that contribute to make a successful trip. Which brings us to sustainable tourism. It doesn’t help that we often use the term “sustainable tourism” in two very distinct ways: Sustainable tourism: This...

07 January, 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 /

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 /

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 /

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 /
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