Industry – International Institute of Tourism Studies

Jackson Hole Creates Destination Stewardship Council to Implement New Plan

amandareiserMarch 2, 2023March 2, 2023Leave a comment

In the summer of 2021, driven largely by people seeking outdoor vacations during COVID, national parks and other public lands around the nation set records for visitors. That summer’s unique challenges were pivotal for Teton County, WY, home to the magnificent natural resources of Jackson Hole, Grand Teton National Park, Yellowstone National Park and Bridgerton-Teton National Forest.

The Jackson Hole community was feeling the impacts that unmitigated visitation can inflict on human and natural resources, the pillars of Jackson Hole’s destination economy. The Jackson Hole Travel and Tourism Board (JHTTB) recognized those impacts and decided to act.

They followed the lead of other major tourist destinations—Aspen, Brekenridge, Sedona and Vail among them—who were threatened by their own tourism success and had already developed or were developing destination management plans to respond to tourism sustainability issues. This trend in planning is also happening around the world. Queensland, New Zealand feared overtourism, so the destination reacted with a management plan that invested in roads, public transport, housing and parking, and created a visitor care code and communication campaigns to enhance and promote visitor responsibility.

Needing help to design a sustainable tourism future, the JHTTB called on George Washington University International Institute of Tourism Studies (GW IITS) and Confluence Sustainability to guide them in the creation of a Sustainable Destination Management Plan (SDMP).

An intense 18-month planning process ensued, wrapping up in December 2022 after engaging nearly 5,000 residents, and in January 2023 the finished plan was adopted unanimously by the JHTTB. In announcing the adoption of the plan, the Board said “together we will ensure that the power of travel and tourism contributes to the health and well-being of our community, our economy and our environment.”

JHTTB also adopted one of the plan’s cornerstone recommendations and created the Teton County Destination Stewardship Council to manage and implement the Sustainable Destination Management Plan in the short-term. Work is already on the way to bring the Destination Stewardship Council to fruition.

The destination’s engagement website https://www.visitjacksonhole.com/locals shares the plan and other previous research from the GW IITS team, and stresses the importance that residents be engaged and active in the SDMP implementation.

“For Teton County, Wyoming, sustainability means balancing the aspirations and needs of community members, businesses, and visitors with the protection of the public lands that are core to the county's heritage, culture, and economy” says Crista Valentino, Interim Executive Director, JHTTB. “GW International Institute of Tourism Studies and Confluence Sustainability played an essential role in building consensus amongst the many stakeholders within our community to build a short and long-term holistic approach towards tourism.”

JHTTB will stay involved to fund projects, events, and initiatives that are eligible for funding under the Wyoming lodging tax statutes. Full implementation funding requires collaborative approaches across jurisdictions and partner organizations named in the plan. The same commitment to collaboration that produced the plan, if brought to implementation, will guarantee Jackson Hole’s sustainable future.

The Future of Travel is Indigenous!

amandareiserMay 15, 2022July 26, 2022Leave a comment

GW International Institute of Tourism Studies Celebrates Indigenous Breakthroughs in Travel and Tourism

During this year’s National Travel and Tourism Week, themed “The Future of Travel”, the George Washington University International Institute of Tourism Studies (GW IITS) celebrated four ground-breaking awards achieved by its Indigenous tourism projects, project members and project managers:

CONGRATULATIONS SOUTH DAKOTA

Dew Bad Warrior—project manager of the South Dakota Native Tourism Alliance (SDNTA) from the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe—received the Visit Rapid City Extra Mile Award this spring for her above-and-beyond support of Native tourism development.

For her leadership and contributions to Native tourism, Sarah Kills-in-Water—a South Dakota Native Tourism Alliance member from the Rosebud Sioux Tribe—was recently honored at the 2022 South Dakota Governor’s Conference on Tourism with the coveted Rising Star Award, which celebrates a tourism professional who has been in the industry for 2-4 years and is expected to make a strong impact on the tourism industry over their career.

*Sarah Kills-in-Water, who received the South Dakota 2021 Governor’s Tourism Rising Star Award in recognition of her leadership and contributions to native tourism development.*

In collaboration with GW IITS, the state of South Dakota–home to nine Native tribes–has actively embraced a destination identity that includes the state’s tribes, their cultures, land and people. GW IITS, along with tribal leaders and the Department of Tourism, have worked together to create the South Dakota Native Tourism Alliance and a five-year Native American Tourism Development and Management Plan (NATDMP) to inject indigenous culture into the state’s tourism program.

*Seleni Matus of GWU IITS presents to the South Dakota Native Tourism Alliance*

Calvin Bloemendaal, who has represented the South Dakota Department of Tourism in the Alliance from its inception, commented. “South Dakota is proud to lead in the ground-braking movement of collaboration with tribes and industry state-wide to bring Native tourism into the mainstream and support their achievements every step of the way.”

Sarah has been a source of inspiration and knowledge in the South Dakota Native Tourism Alliance from its inception to the recent roll-out of the Alliance’s strategic plan. She has endorsed and promotes the Native American Tourism Development and Management Plan, South Dakota 2020–2025 because it “represents a true collaboration between tribes, the state and the tourism industry and will demonstrate that there can be enormous benefits for everyone when Native voices are welcomed and Native communities creating visitor experiences are supported by their state.”

Tamara St. John, tribal historian and South Dakota state legislator, praised the plan as “one of the most pro-sovereignty things that a tribe can do, to take control of their cultural history and tell their stories, define their own narrative, and tell what they’d like to share with the world.”

But it’s not just South Dakota that’s breaching a historically wide gulf in Native equity and inclusion that began in the 1800s with forcing tribes off their land, or taking away their land ownership and claiming the natural resources for the U.S. North Dakota is also bridging the gap.

CELEBRATING IN NORTH DAKOTA

Vision, initiative and hard work abound in Native efforts across the Dakotas and in April, the efforts of the North Dakota Native Tourism Alliance (NDNTA) to create authentic cultural experiences for tour operators landed them the 2022 North Dakota Governor’s Trailblazer Award.

*The NDTA Board receives the 2022 North Dakota Governor's Trailblazer Award*

Native tourism was on the rise prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, with 1.9 million overseas visitors reporting visiting Native America in 2019, and popular tour companies are recognizing the demand for authentic experiences. Destination America, a sister company to Trafalgar, is offering 40-50 Native community experiences in North America this year. Intrepid Travel has also been expanding its tourism offerings in Native America.

Taking advantage of this opportunity is the North Dakota Tribal Tourism Alliance, another success story that began as a GW IITS project to bring the North Dakota tribes together to create tours and build tourism capacity.

With an increase in demand for Native tourism destinations across the country, Native community engagement is needed now more than ever to help prepare tribal communities for tourism.

CELEBRATING IN THE AMERICAS

For its “outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion in the last year through a campaign, content, partnership or other initiative,” Wanderful awarded its 2022 Bessie Award for Inclusion to the Indigenous Tourism Collaborative of the Americas.

Also breaking new ground in sustainable tourism is the Indigenous Tourism Collaborative of the Americas (ITCA), which has Native leadership, tourism industry support, GW IITS project management and a steering collaborative that includes the Organization of American States and the U.S. Department of the Interior Office of Indian Economics Development. ITCA is thriving and building an Indigenous tourism resources portal, tackling their priorities of COVID recovery, building sustainable tourism capacity and securing inclusion in industry and government decision-making.

“We are honored to receive an award named for Bessie Coleman,” steering committee member Katherine D. Edwards said, “who was the first licensed Native American and African American female pilot. Achieving new heights in sustainable economic opportunity through inclusion in tourism is what our collaboration is about.”

Begun as a forum put on by GW IITS in 2020 and endorsed by the U.S. State Department, ITCA is tackling some of the most important issues in sustainable tourism throughout indigenous communities in North and South America with the help and support of some of the most significant forces in travel and tourism including Planeterra, Intrepid Travel, Travel Foundation, Destinations International, Tourism Cares G Adventures, Adventures Travel Trade Association and the Center for Responsible Travel (CREST).

ONTO MAINE

As the success of the Dakota Native alliances have come to the attention of other states, Maine has emerged as the next state desiring GW IITS assistance to facilitate more inclusive Indigenous tourism planning on the East Coast. GW IITS is delighted to begin work in collaboration with Four Directions Development Corporation and the Maine Office of Tourism on a Native American tourism development and management plan to support stronger, more sustainable Native tourism opportunities.

Jamaica Strives for Destination Assurance

amandareiserApril 25, 2022July 26, 2022Leave a comment

New Promise for Authentic, Safe and Seamless Jamaican Visits

Clear blue water, soft sand, and salty air make destinations in the Caribbean irresistible for travelers. Jamaica’s high-quality, sustainable resorts give it an edge as a top tourist destination, and to remain competitive, the country is striving to deliver high-value experiences to visitors beyond its many resorts.

Committed to continued tourism improvement, the Government of Jamaica’s Ministry of Tourism (MOT) has partnered with the George Washington University International Institute of Tourism Studies (GWU IITS) and developed a national tourism Destination Assurance Framework and Strategy (DAFS), the first of its kind in the Caribbean. The DAFS was accomplished through an extensive participatory planning process facilitated by GWU IITS that engaged nearly 300 stakeholders from the public, private and third (civic) sectors and spanned eight months. It is now under review by the Cabinet.

Destination assurance is Jamaica’s brand promise to visitors for an authentic, safe and seamless experience respectful of communities and the environment. The ultimate goal of destination assurance is increasing visitor satisfaction–crucial to the long-term success of the tourism industry.

Hon. Edmund Bartlett, Tourism Minister of Jamaica, asserts that destination assurance is “a promise to visitors that assures an authentic, safe and seamless experience, which is respectful to the community and environment,” and that the DAFS “aims to ensure that the integrity, quality and standards of Jamaica’s tourism product are maintained.” While destination assurance was incorporated in the country’s tourism model in the past, Bartlett noted that the current specialized framework and strategy was created “to better meet the needs of the GEN-C travelers who have a vested interest in unique experiences which are safe”.

*Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, addresses a Jamaica Information Service (JIS) 'Think Tank', on April 23, at the agency's Head Office in Kingston.” Photo by Dave Reid*

The new plan is for individual businesses as well as the overall destination. At the business level, licensing will be streamlined in order for more businesses to attain licenses and operate under safe, legal practices. The plan offers suggested voluntary business standards within a quality management system, destination assurance, and product development.

A national system for certifying business sustainability is also encouraged in the plan so tourists can identify businesses that are making an effort to be more sustainable. Once the National Destination Assurance Programme is enacted for tourism businesses, it can be expanded to include the certification of local destinations.

The development of regional destination management organizations (DMOs) are part of the plan and can help tackle infrastructure and security issues to ensure seamless and safe transit around Jamaica. Many Caribbean destinations have been historically perceived as unsafe outside resort walls. By enacting the assurance plan at the national and destination level, Jamaica intends to eliminate its inclusion in that narrative.

While a majority of the new standards are advisory and voluntary, the plan makes a persuasive case that actions stemming from the DAFS standards will put Jamaica and its businesses in a stronger strategic and competitive position in the Caribbean. When these new standards take effect, they will make Jamaica safer for visitors. Jamaica’s success in coordinated efforts to achieve greater destination assurance will result in travelers eager to visit the country beyond its resorts and enjoy Jamaica’s rich culture and engaging communities.

Alum Feature: Tania Curry, World Wildlife Fund

GW IITSApril 15, 2016Leave a comment

From time to time the IITS likes to showcase the work of our Master of Tourism Administration alumni who are contributing to a more sustainable world through their work. Immediately after earning her degree in 2103, Tania Curry accepted a position as an intern with the World Wildlife Fund’s Travel, Tourism, & Conservation program. A couple of months later, she was hired as a Travel Specialist.

What is the role of the WWF Travel Program?

WWF’s Travel Program aims to give people opportunities to observe the world’s diversity first hand, immersing them in nature and inspiring them to actively care about conservation. We offer trips for both members and non-members alike that educate travelers about conservation work in the field.

Which aspects of that work are you involved with?

I help coordinate and promote our nature trips, and assist as needed with special trips we organize for major donors. The program works closely with Natural Habitat Adventures to promote educational nature travel, and train and equip their guides with the latest in conservation and science research. I also contribute to Good Nature Travel and World Wildlife Magazine.

Can you tell us about any special projects you're excited about?

We’ve been working on a project we’re calling Conservation Travel that focuses on harnessing the economic potential of the travel industry to create incentives for communities and governments to conserve wildlife and wild places and support green growth.

How did your experience in the Master of Tourism Administration program prepare you for your current work?

Through the program, I gained access to contacts and networks that I otherwise would not have found on my own. Guest lectures, events, and course projects allowed me to further explore career options. I actually found my current job while assisting with the UNWTO.Themis Foundation course, Tourism and International Cooperation for Development. The MTA summer practicum in Peru was one of my most personally rewarding courses and gave me a better understanding of the economic importance of tourism and the value of over-communicating when multiple stakeholders are involved. Finally, the experience I gained during my research assistantship with the Crow Nation helped me understand the value of capacity-building and community empowerment within tourism development.

Do you have tips for graduate students who are considering their own career paths?

Consider exploring careers that fall outside of the traditional tourism umbrella and don’t be afraid to think beyond the typical jobs you hear about most. If you’re interested in working with a smaller company and have a research or internship idea that you think may be worthwhile, don’t be afraid to pitch it to them.

Learn more about WWF's Travel Program here: http://www.worldwildlife.org/travel

Are you a GW Tourism alum who would like to be featured on our blog? If so, get in touch! We’re always looking for great examples of how our alumni are making a difference in the tourism world!