World Tourism Day Forum, Cruise Impacts in Alaska, Facets of True Destination Stewardship

From DSC Director Jonathan Tourtellot:

The September 2024 Forum – Last month I was privileged to be able to attend CREST’s 2024 World Tourism Day Forum: “Tourism, Justice, & Peace” and to moderate a panel discussion on the importance of storytelling to support that theme. My panelists: filmmaker Rachel Levy, consultant Kelley Louise, and photographer Lebo Lukewarm.

The Forum was a great chance to reconnect with old friends, as well as as harvesting ideas for the next Destination Stewardship Report.

Many thanks to CREST CEO Wesley Espinosa for pulling together a great conference in his beloved Atlanta. In her LinkedIn post, Destinations International’s Sophia Hyder Hock beautifully summed up the event’s quality.

Cruise tourism – Of particular note for me, an occasional cruise skeptic, was Ellen Frankenstein’s documentary “Cruise Boom” on what happened, pro and con, when mega-cruiseship tourism came to Sitka, Alaska. Now streaming on PBS. https://www.pbs.org/show/cruise-boom-a-community-on-the-cusp-of-change/

Eight facets of destination stewardship – Please see my commentary on the Uneven Rise of Destination Stewardship in  the current issue of the Destination Stewardship Report. I’m eager for any place seeking to build a true stewardship plan  to have a look at this checklist.

Better yet, send us a report on how your destination stewardship plan is progressing. We seek successs stories for the Destination Stewardship Report.

Many thanks.

Jonathan Tourtellot