More and more, we see destination organizations worldwide launching innovative programs to engage local stakeholders in developing long-term strategies for regenerative tourism that serve both local citizens and travelers. And, yes, specifically in that order — local citizens first! Citizens must…
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Guest Article and Video Charlotte Moore, Digital Project Manager, RTO4 Whenever I do a presentation on digital transformation in the tourism industry, I always start by asking those in attendance, “How do you travel?” I’ll ask the same of you. Think for a moment like a visitor. How do you dream…
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Episode guest: Greg Takehara, CEO of Tourism Cares Taleb Rifai, then secretary-general of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), wrote this in the introduction to the 2016 United Nations Global Report on the Transformative Power of Tourism: “Tourism is much more than a leisure…
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Over the last three years on the Future of Tourism, we’ve talked a lot about destination development, stakeholder engagement, and the regenerative power of tourism when it's done well. But as my friend Petra Stušek, president at ECM and CEO of Ljubljana Tourism, likes to say — as of today, August…
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In Spring 2022, in Hamburg, Germany, the CityDNA International Conference & General Assembly convened its first in-person international conference and general assembly in two years. The theme was reunited destinations. It was a momentous event. Not only was it an opportunity for European Cities…
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Cultural heritage — is it a catalytic force for authentic destination development or a double-edged sword that must be wielded with skill and attention? The European Capitals of Culture (ECOC) initiative is an annual designation awarded to chosen European cities and designed to highlight the…
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Read time 8 min — If you found your way to this article, chances are that destination marketing organization (DMO) is a term you hear often … or maybe you're more familiar with the destination management organization? Perhaps you’ve never considered the difference between the two types of…
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I had the honor to attend the annual IMPACT Sustainability Travel & Tourism summit last month in Victoria, British Columbia. Listening to some of the best minds in the business articulate the challenges we face over the next decade, it struck me just how very many things we need to do well and get…
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As we power forward, a look in the rearview is warranted. As the French say, “plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose!” The more it changes, the more it’s the same thing. Two years ago now, in March 2020, the travel industry was hit by a crisis the likes of which we have never seen before. In…
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In 2016, the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) penned the Global Report on the Transformative Power of Tourism about a paradigm shift toward a more responsible and conscientious traveler. In his opening address, UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai wrote: “Tourism is much more than…
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