Change. Perhaps more articles and books have been written on change than any other topic in management. To ensure that tourism is sustainable, we must implement change throughout the tourism system. That’s a lot of work! It requires changing the system itself by implementing new policies and programs, it requires managers in tourism-related businesses to change the way they operate, and it means changing individual behaviors. In this section, we’ll share insights on leading change so we can all work to achieve our goal of a more sustainable tourism system.

Riffs and Rants on Leading Change for Sustainable Tourism

  • Congratulations to Dr. Kuang Xin on successfully defending his dissertation, Conflict and Collaboration in the Mountainous Destination System: A Policymaking Perspective. Kuang is an outstanding scholar with a truly multidisciplinary approach to solving complex research problems. Kuang’s curiosity and passion for planning, policy development, sustainable tourism, and new research techniques combine to enrich everything he does. I am thrilled that Dr. Xin has taken a role as Senior Lecturer in the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture at Purdue. Boiler Up! Along his doctoral journey, Kuang was recognized for......

    18 October, 2026

  • In May 2026, Ailin graduated from Purdue University’s School of Hospitality and Tourism Management with a PhD, completing a journey that combined research, teaching, and a passion for data-driven tourism. Her dissertation: The Sustainability Communication Gap in Responsible Group Tours and the Surcharge Paradox. Just before graduating, Ailin started a new role as Data & Research Manager at Visit Austin in November 2025. In this role, she uses tourism data and research to support data-informed decision-making and help tell the story of Austin’s visitor economy. These milestones mark......

    18 September, 2026

  • Congratulations to Roya Alavipour on receiving the 2025 Outstanding Doctoral Student Teaching Award. Roya is a dedicated researcher and an accomplished teacher. Her commitment to her students is evident, and her passion for sharing knowledge is inspiring. It is great to see her work recognized by the White Lodging-J.W. Marriott Jr. School of Hospitality and Tourism Management. Boiler Up Roya!...

    11 September, 2026

  • One of my favorite methods for encouraging positive change is finding a bright spot. The Heath Brothers – Dan and Chip – introduced me to the idea of bright spots in their book “Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard”. They describe a bright spot as “a successful effort worth emulating”. Rather than telling people what to do, they share how it is way more helpful to show people what is working for other people and letting folks learn from the example. Sometimes it is as......

    10 May, 2025

  • The tourism industry is striving to achieve a balance between the need for economic growth with the responsibility to protect destinations and cultures. To address this challenge, the Sustainable Tourism and Responsible Travel Lab (STARTlab) in the White Lodging-J.W. Marriott Jr. School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Purdue University, in collaboration with marketing consultancy, Miles Partnership, launched Travel with Care, a free industry education resource designed to empower tourism professionals to educate travelers on sustainable tourism practices.  As a scholarly initiative grounded in research, Travel with Care......

    20 April, 2025

  • One of the most interesting aspects of researching sustainable tourism is learning how different groups apply the principles of sustainable tourism in their businesses. In Korea, there is a growing Fair Tourism movement of tour operators committed to ensuring their businesses contribute positively to the destinations that host their clients. Winter Chung explored this phenomenon in her Master’s thesis. Her work is published in the journal –Tourism and Hospitality. Here’s the abstract – and a link to the article.    Link here Abstract: Fair Tourism (FT) is an......

    08 March, 2025

  • Sustainable tourism in tactical and strategic, optimizes the triple-bottom-line, and is collaborative. ...

    08 June, 2024

  • Launch of new Book - Corporate Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Tourism and Hospitality...

    18 May, 2024

  • 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.......

    09 October, 2023

  • Sustainability has been an important topic in tourism for decades. It is exciting to see the ways groups from around the globe are tackling the wicked problem of ensuring tourism is a force for good. In a chapter I contributed to the Routledge Handbook of Trends and Issues in Tourism Sustainability, Planning and Development, Management, and Technology (catchy title, isn’t it??), I tackled the question – What are the trends in Tourism Sustainability? Here’s what I see as some of the important trends (Chapter spoilers ahead). If you......

    17 September, 2023