Research – 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.

World Class Destination Jackson Hole Tackles Sustainable Destination Management

amandareiserJune 2, 2022July 26, 2022Leave a comment

GW International Institute of Tourism Studies Guides Teton County Towards Destination Stewardship

Nestled between mountain ranges of Grand Teton National Park and the wondrous landscapes of Yellowstone National Park, Jackson Hole, Wyoming is a town with a distinct personality and big ambitions. It is one thing to be a place that caters to tourists attracted to world-class skiing and hiking with awe-inspiring scenery and wildlife, and another to create a world-class plan to keep the destination and the communities that serve them sustainable.

The George Washington University International Institute of Tourism Studies (GW IITS), –in partnership with Confluence Sustainability–has joined a high-profile effort to steer the mountain resort destination in the development of a sustainable destination management plan. The past lack of a destination management plan and the enormous success and year-round influx of visitors to Jackson Hole and Teton County, gateways to two of the most popular national parks in the U.S., has naturally created some questions about how to balance the need to protect the local environment and culture and make tourism more valuable for the local community. Traffic, housing, workforce shortage, and overcrowding at recreation facilities are commonly cited.

“Bringing people with differing interests and concerns together to create a destination management plan for a mature destination is never easy. The key is bringing people together and finding common ground. Our team at the George Washington University International Institute of Tourism Studies and Confluence Sustainability is well-positioned to assist Jackson Hole toward sustainability,” said Seleni Matus, executive director of George Washington University International Institute of Tourism Studies. “We’ve developed destination management plans for many global destinations including mountain resort and gateway communities, and our team has been at the forefront of shaping global destination certification standards. We also have strong ties to the community, having supported Teton County’s past sustainability assessment and certification efforts.”

The year-long project is consulting businesses, residents, local non-profits, governments and Federal land managers throughout the planning process. To ensure community buy-in and to develop a shared sense of responsibility for sustainable management, GW IITS has conducted a situational analysis with stakeholders, held stakeholder meetings and focus groups, and conducted a resident survey. The GW IITS and Confluence Sustainability team recently led two visioning and planning workshops in Jackson Hole and Idaho.

A steering committee of community stakeholders is providing oversight for the planning process, which build on past and existing sustainability efforts.

“Since our inception in 2011, the Jackson Hole Travel and Tourism Board has been integral in building a strong tourism economy for the Jackson community. The current Board recognizes the need to prioritize destination stewardship with a renewed focus on enhancing the quality of life of our community. As we embark on this process, we intend to build on our valued community partners’ well-established and pioneering work on sustainability initiatives,” said Cory Carlson, JHTTB Board Chair.

Follow the project’s progress at https://www.visitjacksonhole.com/locals

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.

GW Students Supports COVID-19 Recovery Through Digital Capacity Building in the Caribbean Region

GW IITSSeptember 23, 2021September 23, 2021Leave a comment

“Digitalization” was already a buzzword in tourism before the COVID-19 global health pandemic began in 2020, but the topic has since taken on new life as destinations and businesses develop and implement recovery strategies. In a recent survey by Skift of more than 1,000 tourism industry leaders, just over 80% said that they considered digital transformation strategies much more important or somewhat more important in light of COVID-19. The shift to digital is no longer simply helpful, but a requirement to remain competitive as travel rebounds.

For many tourism stakeholders in the Caribbean, digital transformation was not a top priority prior to the pandemic. According to Faye Gill, Director of Membership Services for the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), “As we recover and evolve from the impacts the pandemic has had on tourism in the Caribbean, we have identified the need for small, medium and even micro- tourism enterprises to leverage training and tools that can help them to capitalize on the efficiencies gained from implementing online processes, and systems, which can ultimately improve their ability to effectively compete in today’s dynamic environment.”

To address these challenges head on, CTO partnered with George Washington University’s International Institute of Tourism Studies (GW IITS) to develop a set of resources that would address the urgent need for digital transformation. The project was led by two recent George Washington University Master of Tourism (MTA) alumni, Beth Wright and Monica Schmidt. The recent graduates took part in GW MTA’s consulting project in the summer of 2020, working with a small team of students to develop COVID-19 recovery and resiliency strategies for the Belize Ministry of Tourism & Diaspora Relations. Following the success of the student consulting project, the two drew upon their learning from their capstone project to develop digital capacity building resources at a wider scale for the Caribbean.

The outcome of the GW and CTO partnership, which took place in the spring of 2021, was the delivery of two new, ready-to-use, resources: 1) a tourism research dashboard for tourism destinations, to aid in the rapid dissemination of data digitally, and 2) a digital capacity building toolkit for small to medium-sized tourism enterprises. Both tools focus on practical frameworks and resources for destination managers and tourism business owners and operators to rebuild their online presence and communications that allows them to compete on the global tourism scale.

The COVID-19 pandemic has spurred new opportunities for graduate level university programs to tangibly contribute to real-world solutions.

The COVID-19 pandemic has spurred new opportunities for graduate level university programs to tangibly contribute to real-world solutions. The hands-on graduate consulting projects, as part of the MTA program, are a successful model for strategic partnerships between higher education institutions and regional development organizations that can result in meaningful and timely outcomes. Focusing on scaling these resources further, GW IITS and the CTO will be rolling out more training and mentoring opportunities for tourism businesses in the Caribbean in the coming months.

To watch a recording of the workshop led by Beth and Monica outlining the resources they developed, click here.

The Digital Toolkit for Tourism Businesses can be downloaded at: https://www.onecaribbean.org/resources/digital-tourism-toolkit/

Students Rise to COVID-19 Recovery Challenges in Belize and Grenada

GW IITSOctober 7, 2020December 21, 2020Leave a comment

Every year, students from the George Washington University Master of Tourism Administration program (MTA) spend two weeks over the summer working on consulting projects for a travel destination. They tackle real life tourism challenges and assist countries beyond the U.S. in their sustainable tourism development aspirations.

Seleni Matus, Executive Director of GW International Institute of Tourism Studies explains: "the summer practicum provides MTA students with unique opportunities to apply theoretical knowledge and see for themselves the challenges and opportunities associated with sustainable tourism." Matus has organized and led the short-term study away programs with GW students in prior years to Italy, Indonesia, Mexico and Cuba.

In pandemic 2020, traveling was out of the question, so digital strategy, adaptation and resilience were required. GW students who would have been traveling to Kazakhstan for on-the-ground experience performed instead in the first-ever virtual summer practicum assisting the Belize Ministry of Tourism and the Grenada Tourism Authority with COVID-19 recovery planning efforts.

By the time the international tourism consulting project began in May, tourism industries throughout the Caribbean were diligently preparing to begin reopening their borders, and there was an urgent need to help micro and small tourism businesses to prepare to reopen safely. To assist where Belize and Grenada most needed it, the students developed digital strategies for the most pressing needs.

Prior to engaging with stakeholders, student teams conducted background research on their destinations and on global COVID-19 recovery best practices. Initial research done, the student teams proceeded to engage stakeholders virtually. They conducted surveys, business focus groups, and interviews with industry professionals.

The student teams created a COVID-19 Tourism Dashboard framework and a Digital Communications Toolkit for Tourism Businesses with specific advice for hoteliers. One of the team leaders, Monica Schmidt reflected, “Our team’s most significant contribution was initiating a deeper conversation around digital transformation for the Belize tourism sector.”

Reflections from other students on their experiences can be found here.

The challenges of conducting virtual practicums were real, but so were the students’ results, and the students’ products were very well-received. Being inside a country you are trying to assist in its tourism development efforts has obvious advantages, but the GW MTA students working virtually created and developed digital strategies for Belize and Grenada that prove mastery of the virtual space can be just as useful.

STUDENTS REFLECT ON THEIR VIRTUAL CONSULTING PROJECTS WITH THE BELIZE MINISTRY OF TOURISM AND GRENADA TOURISM AUTHORITY

GW IITSSeptember 16, 2020December 21, 2020Leave a comment

“We created a COVID-19 Digital Toolkit Video Series for tourism businesses in Belize to help them better position themselves using online tools and platforms in response to the pandemic. It was very meaningful to be able to create a useful resource and provide it directly to small and medium tourism businesses and the Belize Ministry of Tourism at such a critical moment.”

Beth Wright, Team Un-Belize-Able

“Our team’s most significant contribution was initiating a deeper conversation around digital transformation for the Belize tourism sector. I hope that conversations around the topics we recommended, including introducing digital payment systems and digitizing data collection, will continue in the coming months.”

Monica Schmidt, Team Un-Belize-Able

“Our Accommodations Toolkit provides the hotel sub-sector in Grenada with recommendations on how to react to the global pandemic and prepare for the reopening of tourism. The toolkit was signed off on by the CEO of the Grenada Hotel and Tourism Association because of its great benefits for this industry."

Jess Wilson, Team Pure Grenada

“I appreciated that I got the chance to apply what I learned in the class to a real-world case by working with the Grenada Tourism Authority. Our team received invaluable feedback from our professor, classmates, clients and coaching panels throughout the consulting process. This experience gave me a realistic understanding of what consulting for tourism destinations is like."

Nuo Li, Team Pure Grenada

GW Scholars to Present Research and Applied Methodologies on Urban Planning During 3-Day Exec Institute

GW IITSMay 26, 2016Leave a comment

Did you know that Washington, D.C. is a national model for good urban planning, thanks to the proliferation of its Walkable Urban Places (WalkUPs)? Ranked higher than New York, Boston, San Francisco, and Chicago, the country’s capital boasts dozens of pedestrian-friendly zones, extending from the district’s downtown to its outlying suburbs. Given current problems in places like Barcelona and Venice, where the influx of tourists is undermining the cities’ livability, visitor-friendly urban planning is becoming increasingly important and of particular interest to GW scholars along with city planners, real estate developers, hotel owners, and others interested in city planning.

GW’s International Institute for Tourism Studies (IITS) and its Center for Real Estate and Urban Analysis (CREUA)—which have been conducting cutting-edge research on urban walkability and tourism—will be offering a three-day Executive Leadership Institute on September 21 to 23 at the GW School of Business.

The program will cover GW’s current research findings, research methodologies, and practical strategies and tools for enhancing a city’s appeal and quality of life. It’s particularly designed for real estate developers, government officials, nonprofits and place-based institutions, such as business improvement districts, neighborhood associations, historic preservation districts, and cultural heritage routes.

Professors Don Hawkins and Salvador Anton Clavé are two of the program presenters. Dr. Anton Clavé, a Visiting Research Scholar at the IITS and a Full Professor of Regional Geographical Analysis at the Rovira i Virgili University in Catalonia, Spain, has been studying new models for WalkUPs that can promote economic development and create positive relationships between locals and visitors. His work dovetails with that of Dr. Hawkins, founder of the IITS, who has been collaborating with the CREUA on the development of a methodology that analyzes the particular advantages of WalkUps.

For more information and to register for the program, click here. You can download the program’s PDF brochure here.

MTA Alum Anna Barrera Develops Tourism Plan for North Dakota Indians

GW IITSMay 4, 2016Leave a comment

Anna Barrera, tourism consultant and 2014 MTA alumna, has been collaborating with the IITS on two sponsored research projects in Indian Country. She currently consults with the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians in North Dakota to help them create new economic opportunities through tourism. Check out this photo slideshow to learn about Anna's work, and tune in for updates from her other project, the first North Dakota Native Tourism Summit on May 5 and 6!

GW Faculty Research New Culinary Tourism Project in Peru

GW IITSApril 20, 2016

Eight years after the 2007 earthquake that killed hundreds of people on the southern coast of Peru, many impacted communities in the area still struggle to recover. GW faculty Dr. Jane Henrici and Dr. Anna Helm are working to launch a project to help poorer coastal Peruvian women develop sustainable culinary tourism enterprises selling food items prepared on clean and efficient cooking stoves. (Traditional wood-burning ovens are highly harmful to both the people who use them and the natural environment.) Through their project, they intend to build up a new business model for long-term local sustainability and expand the use of clean cookstoves in women-owned enterprises.

In January, Dr. Henrici and Dr. Helm conducted research on the ground in Peru as the first stage of their project, with funding provided by the International Institute of Tourism Studies. Check out the slideshow of photos from their trip and stay tuned for future developments!

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Seleni Matus Joins the IITS as Executive Director

GW IITSApril 20, 2016

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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.

IITS_International-Institute-Tourism-Studies_Blog_Seleni-Mattus_3 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.