Salli Felton, CEO of The Travel Foundation in the U.K., shows how mass tourism can get out of hand. There’s a solution, she says: Measure success in terms of impacts, not arrivals. The tools for doing so already exist. But does the will to use them? Continue reading
A development bank’s well-intentioned report maps out a “critical path” for growing Guyana tourism, but—as is often the case with such plans—fails to lay out the critical stewardship practices needed to protect what tourists would come to experience, as well as a way of life that locals may wish to retain. Continue reading
Dress her in corks and carburetors—Kaikoura, New Zealand has an innovative way to incentivize trash clean-up and recycling: A fashion show featuring the rubbish itself. 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
A squabble over gift-shop tourist dollars on Santa Cruz island, Galápagos, is now threatening the renowned, if often troubled, Charles Darwin Research Station and its conservation work. Could better destination stewardship have avoided this? Continue reading
Geotourism comes to the southern California desert. In collaboration with the surrounding Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, the community of Borrego Springs has adopted a mission statement and geotourism charter and established a stewardship council to guide development. Continue reading
Presenters offered a lot of useful information at the July 2014 CREST (Center for Responsible Travel) symposium in Grenada. Tamara Olton gives a guide to their presentations, with links. Continue reading
Yes, businesses compete against each other. Yet, cooperating to form a network of exciting businesses creates a tourism draw, and that requires a team effort. Continue reading
It was an unsettling surprise. Here I was leading a tourism workshop in the Comoro Islands, only to learn that many local stakeholders did not share my enthusiasm for the potential of this small Indian Ocean country west of Madagascar. … Continue reading
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 … Continue reading