11 Oct Destination Stewards

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 is Destination Stewardship? The World Travel and Tourism Council embraces sustainability principles in describing destination stewardship. They define it as “ an approach to destination governance that seeks to balance the economic, environmental, and social/cultural needs of the destination; whilst operating within a legitimate governance model with active participation from public and private sectors, as well as the local community.”

Of course, the idea of Destination Stewardship has been around for some time. My colleague, Jonathan Tourtellot, CEO of the Destination Stewardship Center, has been promoting the concept and highlighting best practices in destination Stewardship for years. Unfortunately, even the best ideas take time to “cross the chasm” and become the way we do things.

Shout out to all the tourism changemakers embracing destination stewardship. Thank you for everything you are doing!

Additional Resources

“Towards Destination Stewardship: Achieving Destination Stewardship through scenarios and a governance diagnostics framework” WTTC

Destination Stewardship Center