Prompted by a restive citizenry and a responsive city council, the DMO for the city of Sedona, in Arizona’s popular Red Rock country, now acts in effect as a destination stewardship council. That’s unusual. For part of our ongoing project to profile places with effective, holistic management, Sarah-Jane Johnson takes a deep dive into Sedona’s story. This is the sixth in the Destination Stewardship Center’s profiles of exemplary places with collaborative destination management in the spirit of GSTC’s Destination Criterion A1. Continue reading →
This border-straddling North American destination council relies on three strengths – a robust local network, core sustainability principles, and a global brand affiliation. See the third of our profiles on destinations with innovative approaches to holistic management as prescribed by GSTC-D Criterion A1 and the National Geographic Geotourism Principles. Continue reading →
UPDATE: “Philanthropic investing” helped transform an endangered Ecuadorean mansion into an award-winning hotel. Via the DSC, plans are now afoot for a new project in Cuenca. The invitation is out: We want to match more investors with local entrepreneurs. Continue reading →
A restaurant owner in southwestern Missouri demonstrates why the key to a successful geotourism project in the countryside is a local champion willing to be the catalyst for change. A university geotourism class helps, too. Continue reading →
There has been nothing like them, before or since. For seven years, from 2004 to 2010, National Geographic’s landmark Destination Scorecard surveys recorded experts’ opinions on stewardship for hundreds of places around the world. Now, for the first time, the results are amassed here, with easy-to-understand letter grades. Continue reading →
First quarter 2014 news: Grenada adopts a geotourism rebranding as “Pure Grenada”; GSTC gets a new CEO; World Legacy Awards will start up again, at ITB 2015: U.S. Gulf States Geotourism MapGuide rolls out. Continue reading →
Jonathan Tourtellot rounds up recent geotourism developments—lectures in the Philippines, a community-focused initiative in Alaska, and another promising transborder Geotourism MapGuide project, this time for the lakes region of northeast Minnesota and western Ontario. Continue reading →
The holistic geotourism approach is designed to maximize tourism benefits for a destination community, minimize negative impacts, and build a responsible tourism strategy that celebrates and builds on sense of place. Definition of geotourism put forth by National Geographic and … Continue reading →
