In January 2016, Seleni Matus became the new Executive Director of the International Institute of Tourism Studies (IITS) at George Washington University. A native of Belize, she has served as the country’s Director of Tourism, and held positions at Conservation International and Sustainable Travel International. Seleni brings more than 15 years of experience designing and overseeing large-scale initiatives in sustainable destination management throughout the Caribbean and Latin America.
We had the pleasure of meeting with Seleni to welcome her to GWU and learn about her experiences and vision for the IITS.
Welcome Seleni! How did you first become involved in sustainable tourism? 
While I was still living in Belize and working on development and entrepreneurship, I oversaw the design of a national tour guide training and certification program. Tour guides can play a key role in sustainable tourism because they interact directly with tourists and act as interpreters of local culture. As a result of the program, and seeing how well-managed tourism can transform the lives of people in local communities, I became very passionate about sustainable travel and tourism. We need to ensure that there’s more good tourism going on around the world.
Would you say that the development of the tour guide training program was among your proudest achievements?
Absolutely. More recently, however, I led the development of the Sustainable Destination Alliance of the Americas. We brought key players to the table to develop a practical toolkit designed to help tourism-dependent destinations start on their sustainability journey. To have been able to connect all the dots by bringing together top-level decision-makers, regional organizations, NGOs, and major corporations — and to get them to agree on a shared vision — is one of my proudest moments.
What are some upcoming IITS projects you’re most excited about?
We’ve been working to expand the reach of our destination management certificate program to other regions in the world, particularly to the Caribbean, where program partners and universities have expressed enormous interest.
We’re also planning to develop a more robust applied research agenda. Because the tourism industry needs reliable information to make more informed decisions about our future, we’re hoping to position the IITS as a leader in the field, helping to advance industry thinking around sustainability and destination management.
In addition to research, we also want to fill the more pressing needs for capacity building on sustainability and destination management in key regions such as the Caribbean and Latin America. And finally, we want to develop strategic partnerships that would enable us to offer our students very unique experiences working in tourism development issues around the world.
How can students and professionals get involved in these new projects?
Oh, in many ways. We offer non-degree certificate programs that provide professionals with practical ways to enhance their skills in the tourism industry. Our students can participate in our research projects and the programs we’re developing with strategic partners. For example, we hope to collaborate with partners such as the Organization of American States on specific tourism projects. This would allow students to spend a few weeks or even a semester helping to implement projects in the real world.
And finally, what’s your favorite travel destination?
There’s a saying in Spanish: “I’m taking it in my heart.” Places like Cozumel, Suriname, and Jamaica are all very special to me because of the work I’ve done there and the relationships I’ve built.
