While there are many great initiatives that can be taken to achieve sustainable tourism, it is important to remember that sustainable tourism requires a policy framework to achieve its objectives. Policies that enable sustainable tourism are often developed by folks that do not consider themselves part of tourism, and many of the policies are not tourism or hospitality related. So what policies does the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) say are required for a sustainable destination? In a recent analysis of the GSTC Destination Criteria I carried out with...

09 July, 2021 /

Scope Three carbon reporting is gaining importance and suppliers of business travel need to be ready. So what is scope 3 and why is it important? As concern for the climate crisis increases, many corporations are committing to measuring – and reducing – their carbon footprints. The Greenhouse Gases (GHG) that corporations produce are categorized within three “scopes” that are measured - and hopefully the focus of reduction strategies. Scope 1 measures the GHG that the company produces itself as it makes its products and services. Scope 2 measures...

06 July, 2021 /

How do you even start to become a more responsible traveler? The Travel Care Code identifies 10 easy steps to ensure that your travels are better for the communities you visit and the planet. Learn about your destinationDon’t leave your good habits at homeBe a fuel-efficient travelerMake informed decisionsBe a good guestSupport the localsDispose of Waste ProperlyProtect your Natural SurroundingsMake your travel zero emissionsBring your experiences home. Changing behavior is hard – but here’s a good place to start. Click through to learn more about the Travel Care Code Initiative. ...

01 July, 2021 /

The challenge of decarbonizing hospitality is one of the great challenges our industry faces. It is important that we consider the actions that will have the greatest impact on our carbon footprint. Unfortunately, the things we talk about most frequently are not the things that have the biggest impact. Here are just a few steps to decarbonizing tourism - the most commonly discussed first, the most impactful last. Green operations: So much of our conversation focuses on improving our energy efficiency and reducing our carbon footprint through our...

30 June, 2021 /

2021 will be remembered as a reset year. After decades of tourism growth, the pandemic delivered a devasting year for our industry and now we are starting to make our way forward again. It's not going to be the same, but can it be better? As we get ready for the new normal – here are a couple of priorities for the coming years. Building back better takes leadership that balances the immediate with the strategic. Focusing on the short-term without attention to the long-term – or vice versa...

28 June, 2021 /

As someone who came of age in the 80s, I have spent my entire life waiting to see the benefits of trickle-down economics. The consensus these days seems to be that I shouldn’t hold my breath in anticipation of those policies creating the outcomes that were promised. But we can learn from the past. And it hasn’t been lost on me that many of the thought leaders I followed in the 80s and 90s – Kotler, Porter, and Senge, to name a few - have all advocated for interventions...

20 March, 2021 /

Uzbekistan, a central Asian Nation located along the Silk Road, is becoming a popular destination for visitors from the region and beyond. While cultural heritage has been a strong attraction for many travelers, Uzbekistan’s environment and natural places have the potential to draw visitors. Purdue’s Sustainable Tourism and Responsible Travel (START) lab is working with scholars from Urgench State University (UrSU), Uzbekistan, to support the development of ecotourism practices. The first project, supported by a grant from the American Council for International Education’s Central Asia University Partnership Program...

24 January, 2021 /

Cities need sustainable tourism more than ever. Too often sustainable tourism discussions focus on small scale, nature-based tourism. It is critical to remember that sustainable tourism principles can be applied to all parts of the tourism system. Indeed, although the pandemic has silenced many of the concerns about overtourism, sustainable tourism in urban destinations has never been more important. That is not to say it will be easy. Implementing sustainable tourism is a wicked problem. What does that mean? Wicked problems, like sustainable tourism, are complex, with many actors...

16 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 /

"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 /
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