Destination Stewardship Center

Extending the work of the National Geographic Center for Sustainable Destinations.

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Category Archives: World Heritage

Doing It Better: Tequila, Jalisco, Mexico

Posted on October 1, 2019 by Ellen Rugh
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Tequila, Mexico

Herewith the second of our profiles of destination organizations that at least partially meet the GSTC-D criterion for holistic destination management. In this post: Tequila, Jalisco, Mexico, which is adopting a multisector, high-tech “Intelligent Destination” approach. Continue reading →

Western Balkans—Tourism on the Cusp

Posted on August 21, 2019 by Cristina Angeles
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VIDEO – Our expedition to the Balkan Adriatic shows what tourism should do—and not do. The rugged coastal regions including Albania and Montenegro have sustainability lessons the world should heed. Continue reading →

19 Lessons from 41 World Heritage Sites

Posted on January 5, 2017 by Swen Lorenz
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A 2016 travel fling to 41 World Heritage sites inspires admiration and respect for the renowned UNESCO-administered program, but also disappointment and frustration with a bureaucratic, underfunded system. Remedies exist, says Swen Lorenz, himself a World-Heritage-site veteran. Continue reading →

Cuban Tourism at a Crossroads

Posted on June 14, 2016 by Lucy Matthews
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Our Heritage Tourism page editor, Lucy Matthews, visited Cuba recently with an eye to types of tourism that work well, and a concern about types that may not. Continue reading →

Two Billion Footprints: Good News Or Not?

Posted on September 27, 2015 by Jonathan Tourtellot
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The upbeat theme for World Tourism Day – “One billion tourists, one billion opportunities” – does, however, raise questions of carrying capacity and quality of the travel experience. Places are getting crowded, as the late Yogi Berra understood. It’s time to move the emphasis from quantity to quality. Continue reading →

Americans, Get to Know World Heritage

Posted on December 12, 2012 by Jonathan Tourtellot
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“UNESCO World Heritage site” is one of the best-known labels in the world—a tourist magnet—except in the United States. Many Americans know nothing of the worldwide program they helped found 40 years ago, nor that the U.S. has 21 World … Continue reading →

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Choices

Make a point with this ironic two-part Nat Geo video on stewardship

Video

Show the world your destination success story, as in our Sierra Gorda pilot.

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  • Invest in a Future Free From Overtourism | Maui News
  • The New Overtourism Debate | Travel Weekly
    Pushback against crowds is taking hold – at what cost?
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by Jonathan Tourtellot