Category: GWSB Blog Posts

Salvador Anton Clavé was a Visiting Research Scholar at the International Institute of Tourism Studies during the past academic year when he was on sabbatical from his position as a Full Professor of Regional Geographical Analysis at the Rovira i Virgili University in Catalonia, Spain. He also serves as director of the Doctoral Program in Tourism and Leisure at the university, and he served as director/dean of the Tourism and Leisure School/Faculty of Tourism and Geography at the Rovira i Virgili University between 2002 and 2014. His research concentrates on the evolution of tourist destinations, urban and regional tourism planning, the analysis of the globalization of leisure, the impact of information and communication technologies in tourism destinations and issues concerning tourism policies and local development.

1) What initially drew you to GW’s International Institute for Tourism Studies and Center for Real Estate and Urban Analysis?

I first met Professor Don Hawkins nearly twenty years ago, when he was the Executive Director of the International Institute of Tourism Studies. Recently, he introduced me to the idea of exploring the relationship between the walkable conditions of metropolitan areas—particularly Washington D.C.—and the visitor experience. I was intrigued and decided to spend my sabbatical leave from my own institution working on the project.

2) What are some high points of the research you've been conducting?

During this last academic year, we expanded an analysis of Washington D.C.’s walkable urban places that was previously conducted in 2012. We sought to account for the changes that have occurred in the city over the past five years as well as to incorporate measurements that capture the ways in which walkable urban places bolster the regional tourism economy.  The methodology analyzes the influence of walkable urban places on economic development and social equity. It also measures how walkability enhances the city’s overall attractiveness and can lead to the growth of sustainable tourism.

3) How are your conclusions influencing tourism planning?

Our findings demonstrate that tourism activity and hotel performance in Washington D.C. is closely associated with local walkability. For instance, walkable urban places in the metro area represent the 0.8% of the total land but 61.4% of the city’s total hotel revenue. While we’ve come up with a host of ancillary findings, our basic conclusion—from a practical point of view—is that the tourism and visitor experience industry needs to be more involved in the design, development and management of urban places and that developers should take into account the requirements and needs of the tourism industry and visitor economy. This conclusion highlights the need to rethink the current tourism management practices of many cities, recognizing the need to expand beyond marketing to place management, place making and place governance.

4) Are there specific destinations that are already applying your findings?

Until now the project has focused on metropolitan Washington D.C. Planning and research organizations in other cities are considering the usefulness of these types of measures and how they can be applied to better understand and plan tourism activities and development. This is for the New York metropolitan area, for example.

5) What is your involvement with tourism planning in Cuba?

During this past year I have been a member of a team of researchers, consultants and practitioners led by the current Executive Director of the International Institute of Tourism Studies Seleni Matus. We have been defining a vision for sustainable tourism in Cuba and designing potential support activities that the institute could provide as the country continues to grow its tourism infrastructure.  Our goal has been to help Cuba  use tourism as means of reducing social, gender and racial inequality; creating prosperous business opportunities; developing healthier communities; preserving and maintaining the county’s cultural and natural heritage; and supporting mutually beneficial exchanges between locals and foreigners. I am now involved in several educational and research initiatives that the institute is planning for Cuba for this next academic year.

 

This year the GW School of Business welcomed Dr. Hannah Messerli as its newest Chair of the International Institute of Tourism Studies, as well as an endowed professor of tourism policy. Dr. Messerli has in short time become an excellent resource for graduate students in the Master of Tourism program, bringing years of global experience as a tourism development specialist at the World Bank.

Recently, Dr. Messerli invited graduate students from her Tourism Policy and Planning course to join her at a World Bank presentation on Singapore’s urban transformation. Students have been examining case studies in tourism from Barcelona, Bali, and the Caribbean, and just spent a week poring over Singapore’s successes in tourism and its applicability in other destinations. Dr. Messerli’s invitation was a special opportunity for her students, many of whom had never been to the World Bank despite its proximity to GW.

At the event, students found a lively exchange of ideas among World Bank specialists in urban planning, urban sustainability, transport and other fields. Presenter Michael Koh, a Fellow with the Centre for Liveable Cities in Singapore, helped plan, design and lead the city-state’s urban revitalization. His presentation traced Singapore’s journey from slum to global financial hub. Through strategic urban planning and a whole-of-government commitment to housing and employing every citizen, Singapore inarguably surmounted the challenges it faced 50 years ago: limited natural resources, poverty, unemployment, and a high-density population. It also recognized and harnessed the power of tourism to drive development, paying special attention to growing the sector. Singapore now welcomes 15 million international tourists a year who enjoy the same bustling commercial centers, green spaces, riverfront, and historical heritage that residents do.

The presentation was great exposure for GW students to career paths in tourism planning, urban development, and other disciplines that contribute to thriving, liveable cities. Stay updated on our IITS staff and faculty at our Facebook page.

By Wendy Li, MTA '17

When you think of the U.S. National Parks, do the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Yosemite and the Everglades immediately spring to mind? What most people don’t realize is that the National Park Service (NPS) actually protects over 400 sites including monuments, heritage trails and, of course, parks and is a pioneer in conservation.

As students of tourism management learn, wild, public lands rank among our country’s top treasures, attracting more than 300 million visits a year and creating billions of dollars in economic benefits for surrounding communities. But the NPS faces a backlog of $12 billion for maintenance of infrastructure including roads, bridges and pipes.

At a recent event hosted by the travel marketing group Brand USA, panelists stressed that the future of our parks rests on us. That means promoting parks—and especially lesser-known sites—to new visitors, including young people and international travelers.

For many years the International Institute of Tourism Studies has partnered with the NPS on a variety of research and tourism projects. This year, as the NPS celebrates its 100th anniversary, we’ve been helping to promote a trail right in GW’s backyard: The Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail, which crosses through three states and Washington, D.C., and includes hundreds of miles of natural paths and waterways.

Our work included a brand survey. We talked to tourism marketers and managers along the Potomac Heritage Trail to understand how the NPS can better promote the trail so that it resonates with visitors. One of the challenges is positioning a heritage trail in a way that makes its unique characteristics compelling. Unlike the world-famous Pacific Crest and Appalachian Trails, which can be hiked from end to end, a heritage trail is not necessarily one long route, but is conceptually connected by history, culture and nature.

We hope you’ll mark the centennial of the National Park Service by visiting our country’s parks and heritage sites this year and sharing your experiences—and this post—with your social networks.  

 

Students enrolled in the new course A Journey Through the Sharing Economy taught by associate professor Stuart Levy were recently in San Francisco, where they met with leaders from companies revolutionizing the travel industry through peer-to-peer (P2P) platforms. AirBnB and Uber for example, are not only improving the user experience, they’re gaining enormous competitive advantage over traditional travel and tourism companies.

Chip Conley, AirBnB’s Head of Global Hospitality & Strategy explained how the eight year-old company—which in July alone saw 2 million guests and is now valued at $30 billion—is striving to become the “global super brand of travel.” AirBnB's future success will be based on its ability to collect and analyze data on its users and then to use that information to offer curated travel experiences. So, for example, based on a customer’s recent stay, AirBnB may be able to assemble an individually-tailored set of recommendations that goes beyond accommodations to include dining and activity options.

The George Washington University’s International Institute of Tourism Studies is working with destinations to access and analyze data on their partners by facilitating collaborations with P2P tech companies. Join us to learn more at the Development & Management of Tourist-Oriented Walkable Urban Places seminar September 21^st through the 23^rd at George Washington University.  This executive seminar will introduce participants to the use of AirBnB data in analyzing the role of walkable urban places in tourism performance. Metropolitan Washington, DC will be used as the prototype for designing a model for a walkable city tourism strategy.  Through these partnerships, even destinations with traditionally limited marketing capacity have the ability to reach new customers and to improve the visitor experience. To learn how the International Institute of Tourism Studies can help your destination to join the growing trend of P2P engagement, please contact us at iits@gwu.edu.