Creating a philanthropic stewardship organization for Cape Cod was no easy task. Four years and 15 grant projects later, the director of CARE for the Cape and Islands can point to successes, as well as tips on obstacles and opportunities for civic leaders in other destinations.
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.
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.
Every year tourists flock to these beaches by the millions, but not for sun and sand. When it comes to impact on the destination, that makes a big difference.
Scenic beauty is essential to tourism, of great value both economically and spiritually. But who takes care of it? From Italy’s Cinque Terra, Jay Walljasper shows the value of the commons—everything we share.
Managing tourists at popular World Heritage sites has long been a focus for Englebert Ruoss, who formerly headed up the UNESCO office in Venice and has now launched a sustainable-destinations initiative called Global Regions. Its new 164-pp publication is SUSTAINABLE TOURISM AS DRIVING FORCE FOR CULTURAL HERITAGE SITES DEVELOPMENT –
A new Arizona Republic report summarizes the various development pressures affecting the Grand Canyon. While much of the canyon remains a magnificent wilderness, even those areas can suffer from noise and light pollution. Now plans for an extensive resort development in the gateway town of Tusayan threaten the canyon water
Three bits of encouraging news in one week. Mexico kills a bad resort plan on the Sea of Cortez. It helps when your president likes coral reefs. Calderon’s attitude jibes with numerous anecdotes about the value of introducing political leaders to the endemic assets of their jurisdictions. Washington Post. Abaco
Canadians Likely to Avoid U.S. Travel | TTW
Ironic: Loss of foreign revenue hurts U.S. balance of payments
Tourists Skeptical of Visiting “Toxic America” | Euronews
Trump Purge May Cripple U.S. National Parks | Politico
Greenland Unready for Expected Tourism Surge| Arctic Today
Can Nothing Stop Overtourism? | NY Times
Everest Choppers Destroy Peace, Prosperity | Mungabay
Noisy flights destroy Sherpa trekking economy.
How 39 Destinations Combat Overtourism | Independent
Useful rundown
Barcelona Uses Its Tourist Tax for Climate Action | CBS
Andaman Island Plan Called “Ecocide” | Deccan Herald
Port project endangers Great Nicobar tribes, biosphere reserve
Tulum, After the Airport | Washington Post
Once off-beat, the Maya coastal town girds for mass tourism
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