News – 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.

St. Thomas, Jamaica, is Tapped as The Next Frontier of Tourism

GW IITSDecember 16, 2021December 16, 2021Leave a comment

New Destination Management Plan for St. Thomas, Jamaica, Promotes Community Tourism; Serves as a Model for Other More Mature Destinations including Montego Bay, Negril, and Ocho Rios

A new Destination Management Plan for the Parish of St. Thomas, Jamaica, was unveiled by the Hon. Edmund Bartlett, Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism in April, and is designed to serve as a catalyst for the wider social and economic development of the Parish. The plan’s development process was led by a team from GW IITS and provides Jamaica’s first regional sustainable destination development and management master plan, with comprehensive strategies for sustainable growth including zoning schemes, destination and infrastructure development strategies, and economic impact forecasts.

“We want to introduce our visitors to more community tourism experiences, this will give the visitor the feeling of having a multi-destination vacation without ever leaving our shores,” said Bartlett, in an unveiling ceremony for the plan, which was approved by the Cabinet.

The plan speaks to all sectors in the parish benefiting from tourism development, providing economic viability in communities beyond Jamaica’s traditional resort areas. In a multi-sectoral approach, 40 out of 51 identified projects will be implemented by the Ministry of Tourism over the next ten years.

“Our new marketing packages will encourage visitors to take excursions to local shopping establishments and restaurants, entertainment facilities and bars. We will also encourage them to wander along our beaches, rivers, and to our fishing villages. Critical in fact in our shift to increase awareness of our community tourism offerings, will be a targeted campaign to focus on our many cultural and heritage assets,” added Bartlett.

The Ministry of Tourism is now leading the development of a second TDDMP in Negril using the methodology that the GW IITS team developed.

For more information regarding the St. Thomas Tourism Destination Development & Management Plan, visit the Jamaica Ministry of Tourism Facebook page here to watch an informational video prepared by the Jamaica Information Service.

TRIBES JOIN FORCES TO DEVELOP CULTURAL HERITAGE TOURISM

GW IITSNovember 18, 2019November 18, 2019Leave a comment

From cultural and historical sites, to parks and preserves to pow wows and traditional festivals, North and South Dakota are rich in opportunities for visitors seeking to experience Native American places and ways of life.

While in general, a growing interest in authentic and cultural heritage travel is fueling an uptick in Indigenous tourism, many tribes and communities throughout the US are not yet convinced of tourism’s potential benefits, which go well beyond economic development.

As Seleni Matus, Executive Director of the George Washington University’s International Institute of Tourism Studies explains, “We know that tourism is often the most promising way for many Indigenous communities to generate income while giving these groups the financial capability to protect their lands and cultural traditions.”

Three years ago, the Masters of Tourism Administration students, under the auspices of the International Institute of Tourism Studies, helped to establish the North Dakota Native Tourism Alliance. The idea was to bring together the state’s five Indian Nations—the Sisseton Wahpeton, Standing Rock, Mandan-Hidatsa-Arikara, Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa and Spirit Lake— to collaboratively design tourism opportunities and develop their own individual strategies around cultural heritage tourism.

While the project, developed with support from the Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Indian Energy and Economic Development and Division of Transportation, is building the capacity for tourism and economic development generally, this year’s focus in particular has been on developing actual tourism products and experiences that will appeal to visitors from the US, Europe and Asia. For example, these include pow wows, visits with community elders and interpretive tours of historic and cultural sites.

In addition to working with community leaders to identify and develop products and experiences, the IITS team is helping tribes to establish pricing, market their products and train guides and interpreters. They’re also identifying tour operators and potential entrepreneurs interested in working with the tribes. And, also as part of the project, the GW teams helping to strengthen micro-enterprises, including those owned and operated by local artisans, storytellers and dancers.

“The International Institute of Tourism Studies (IITS) has been an instrumental partner, helping to inform and shape our program design and delivery,” explains Ed Hall, Tourism Coordinator at the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs. They designed the approach now used in our work in the Dakotas to create long-term investment in sustainable cultural tourism development for tribal communities. Our partnership provides graduate students with an opportunity to work in tribal communities and share their expertise while learning from the communities themselves. The project works with state representatives to identify existing resources, which can support tribal capacity building and facilitates coordination and access to these various resources, while identifying gaps or barriers that require additional support. Ultimately, however, it is the sovereign tribal nations and communities that must control their own tourism efforts and deliver products and experiences that are authentic to their own cultures and traditions.”

This year, the Institute expanded its reach to South Dakota, where it’s working with nine federally recognized tribes. Stakeholder meetings to establish the projects have been well received by the South Dakota Department of Tourism as well as officials including David Flute, Secretary of Tribal Affairs and Jim Hagan, Secretary of Tourism, both of whom attended recent gatherings. State representatives Senator Red Dawn Foster, Representative Shawn Bordeaux, and Representative Tamara St. John, all of whom are Native American, have also been attending meetings and publically endorsing our work.

In South Dakota, the initial goal is to develop a regional tourism strategy and build a regional alliance, similar to the approach taken in North Dakota. For now, the group is focused on addressing several challenges inherent to the state, including the concentration of tourism attractions in and around Rapid City and the Badlands National Park and the general lack of connectivity between these areas and the tribal nations.

Participants at recent meetings expressed their hope that tourism would be the vehicle to reestablish connections and reunite the Oceti Sakowin, the People of the Seven Council Fires. Until the arrival of trappers and settlers during the 1600s, these bands of the Sioux were united by language and kinship.

As meeting attendee Randy Ross, from the Alliance of Tribal Tourism Advocates said, "Tourism isn't just about money. It can make light and open a path to knowledge. Then, our future generations will have a place to hang their hat on. They will have a legacy. Tourism is a vehicle to humanity.”

Kansas Middletent from the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe added that, “This initiative is important in so many ways but overall, it allows us to control our narrative. We get to share our way of life through our own lens, our own perspective, that often isn’t told to in fullness or in truth.”

To explore the ways in which tourism can drive opportunity and contribute to a better quality of life for Indigenous communities, the Organization of American States and the George Washington University International Institute of Tourism Studies, in collaboration with the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs, are organizing a two-day Indigenous Tourism Forum of the Americas scheduled for March 17^th to 18^th, 2020 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Visit the forum website to learn more and register.

TOURISM IN THE FACE OF CLIMATE CHANGE

GW IITSNovember 13, 2019Leave a comment

Rising seas, melting snowcaps and rampant wildfires make destinations increasingly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. While the tourism industry is certainly responsible for contributing to the emission of greenhouse gases that lead to a warming climate, the solution is not to stop travel. Because tourism plays a vital role in driving economic growth and development, as well as conservation, travel companies, tour operators and individuals need to find new approaches to responsible travel in the face of climate change.

On October 30, The George Washington University’s International Institute of Tourism Studies and the Adventure Travel and Trade Association (ATTA) co-hosted AdventureConnect, which brought together adventure travel industry leaders, educators and students to discuss the future of sustainable tourism. The event was moderated by attorney Chunnie Wright, who provides legal counsel to adventure travel companies, and featured panelists Karl Egloff, Director of Travel & Conservation at the World Wildlife Fund; Jeff Bonaldi, founder & CEO of The Explorer’s Passage; and Russell Walters, who serves as ATTA’s North America Strategic Director and AdventureEDU Educator.

Panelists and participants addressed a number of key issues during a lively discussion that drew an engaged crowd. The following are some of the key takeaways from the evening:

SUSTAINABILITY MUST BE A SHARED RESPONSIBILITY.

While the tourism industry as a whole—including airlines, cruise ships and hotels— needs to take the lead on adopting practices that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, consumers must do their part to drive efforts by demanding more of businesses and supporting those that demonstrate good environmental stewardship and leadership.

TOUR OPERATORS HAVE A KEY ROLE TO PLAY.

By fully understanding the sustainability of their own supply chains—including guides, vendors, and other suppliers—and by engaging with those companies and individuals who are demonstrably reducing their environmental footprint, tour operators can wield significant influence. They, too, can drive environmental initiatives internally by offsetting all of their trips.

TOUR OPERATORS AND DESTINATIONS CAN WORK TOGETHER TO EDUCATE TRAVELERS.

Around the world, tour operators are partnering with destinations to increase public awareness through climate-focused, educational trips. For example, renowned primatologist Jane Goodall recently joined a group to plant trees at the base of Mount Kilimanjaro, an area that is exhibiting the harsh effects of climate change, partly due to large-scale deforestation. The expedition, a partnership between adventure travel company The Explorer’s Passage and conservation group ClimateForce, raised proceeds to fund large tree-planting projects. And in Iceland, where higher temperatures are melting glaciers, companies like Into the Glacier, which leads visitors through ice tunnels, are educating the public about the impacts of climate change.

TRAVELERS SHOULD MAKE INFORMED CHOICES WHEN FLYING.

While overall air travel is responsible for 2.5 percent of the world’s gas emissions, studies estimate that by 2050, aviation could take up a quarter of the world’s total carbon budget—or the amount of carbon dioxide emissions permitted to keep global temperature rise to within 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels. Tour operators and travelers can contribute to lower emissions by adhering to the NERD rule: Choose NEWER aircrafts, buy ECONOMY seats, fly on REGULAR (medium-sized) jets and fly DIRECT, without layovers.sus

SPREAD THE WORD.

Because it can be challenging to understand—much less adopt—sustainability-oriented solutions, small businesses in particular often need support. Destinations and experienced businesses could help to scale sustainability by sharing their stories, experiences and recommendations for best practices.

Overtourism Forum Draws Thought Leaders From Around the World

GW IITSOctober 18, 2018Leave a comment

In collaboration with our colleagues at the Center for Responsible Travel, on World Tourism Day—September 27th—the International Institute of Tourism Studies gathered industry leaders from around the world to share their approaches to the vexing challenges that stem from overtourism.

The forum, Overtourism: Seeking Solutions, was a great success in terms of attendance, media coverage and the sharing of ideas for possible pathways forward. As all presenters stressed, overtourism stems from a complex set of challenges; solutions will need to be multi-faceted and site-specific.

Francesca Street—who interviewed three of our panelists for her CNN feature Can the World Be Saved from Overtourism?—summarized the key takeaway as follows: “Speakers agree that government, locals and tourism companies working together is the best recipe for success. Events such as the World Tourism Day Forum also allow for cross-pollination and sharing of ideas on a wider scale."

Johanna Jainchill, in her Travel Weekly story Experts Talk Threat of Overtourism and Possible Solutions, said: "Among the clearest takeaways from the event was that governments worldwide need to step up and recognize they are the first line of defense in saving their historical cities and natural treasures from being "loved to death."

A few additional takeaways...

Recognize the tipping point: More isn't always better. Determine maximum capacity for your destination and monitor social media to determine whether it's on traveler hot lists.
Plan ahead: Make tourism part of comprehensive urban, regional and destination plans.
Stay flexible and adaptable: What works for historic sites doesn't necessarily work for beach communities, for example. Needs differ and change over time.
Rethink good governance and management: DMOs have a vital role to play beyond marketing; they need to participate in the sustainable management of destinations.
Redirect visitors: Encourage visitors to travel smarter, to seek out hidden gems and to contribute to the protection of the places they visit.

For those unable to attend the forum in person or via livestream, we've posted video recordings of the entire day on the International Institute of Tourism YouTube playlist.

Tourism Plays Key Role in UN Sustainable Development Goals

GW IITSApril 27, 2016Leave a comment

How will we tackle the great, global problems of poverty, hunger, and social inequity over the next fifteen years? Or the threats posed by climate change, biodiversity loss, and unstable governments?

The United Nations' game plan is the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Adopted last September and endorsed by 150 world leaders, the SDGs place tourism as part of the solution to worldwide social and environmental problems. Goal 8, Goal 12, and Goal 14, which address economic growth and employment; sustainable consumption and production; and ocean and marine conservation all have tourism-related targets. That’s right—well-managed tourism is now widely acknowledged as a powerful development tool.

Not only that, but the UN declared 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development. Next year promises to offer an incredible opportunity for people working in the tourism field.

For students, professionals, and government officials who would like to participate in tourism-related UN development projects, George Washington University and the UN World Tourism Organization Themis Foundation are offering the comprehensive training course Tourism and International Cooperation for Development this summer and fall in Washington, D.C.

According to the description, “This intensive course trains university graduates, industry professionals, and government officials in subject areas related to international cooperation and development through tourism.”

Instructors include Dr. Don Hawkins and Professor Seleni Matus of GW’s Master of Tourism Administration program. The first half of the course is online from August 15 to September 25, and the on-site component takes place at GW from October 8 to 20.

Registration deadline is June 30, 2016. You can apply online. For more detailed information, click here: GW 2016 Course Brochure.

Photo credit: John Shedrick