Get ready for an afternoon of thoughtful and engaging discussion on how we can leverage the power of destination stewardship by centering communities in tourism planning, policy, and implementation.

Sep 27, 1:00PM – 4:00PM EDT

It isn’t uncommon for tourism policies and plans to be made without community input, but tourism does not exist in a vacuum. Communities feel the consequences of being excluded: from overtourism and climate and biodiversity threats, to cultural heritage loss and widening social inequities. In order to build a more sustainable and responsible future for tourism – for destination communities, businesses, and tourists alike – we need a more holistic approach, one that puts communities at the center of tourism planning and decision-making. Without doing so we risk losing what makes so many destinations unique and worth visiting.

Our goal for this event is to have a research-based discussion with practical examples of how destination stewardship is being implemented around the world. We want you to walk away with a better understanding of destination stewardship as a tourism model and the value of using community-centered destination marketing, and to identify your role in your destination and use that role to advance new, or support existing, destination stewardship plans in your community.

Speakers:

John de Fries
President and Chief Executive Officer, Hawaii Tourism Authority

Lebawit Lily Girma
Editor-At-Large, Skift

Sven Gonstead
Chairman, Big Bay Stewardship Council

Brooke Hansen, Ph.D.
Director, Sustainable Tourism, University of South Florida

JoAnna Haugen
Founder, Rooted

Rob Holmes
Founder & Chief Strategist, GLP Films

Seleni Matus
Executive Director, International Institute of Tourism Studies

Gregory Miller
Executive Director, Center for Responsible Travel (CREST)

Andrea Pinabell
President/Chief Impact Officer, AC Impact Advisors

Tom Smith
General Manager, Intrepid Travel

Dawnielle Tehama
Executive Director, Willamette Valley Visitors Association

Jonathan Tourtellot
CEO, Destination Stewardship Center

Andreas Weissenborn
VP Research & Advocacy, Destinations International

Organizer link

Registartion link