Author: Derek Schimmel

The Evolution of DMOs: From Marketing to Management

Written by Derek Schimmel on . Posted in Uncategorized.

DMOs have been a part of your travel life, whether you recognize it or not.

Those commercials and advertisements you see suggesting you visit a certain state or country? DMOs are behind those…

The bed/lodger tax attached to the end of your hotel bill that you’ve undoubtedly questioned at one time or another? DMOs once again…

The convention you attended a few years back, or the visitor’s center where you pulled brochures during your summer road trip? You guessed it…

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What is a DMO?

The D in DMO stands for destination. A destination can take on a variety of meanings, whether it be it a city, national park, country or any other clearly delineated region. In the simplest terms, a destination is a place that is marketed to travelers as a place to visit.

The O of DMO represents organization. Though seemingly self-explanatory, organizations can take on a variety of meanings depending on the destination. At the national level, NTOs (National Tourism Organizations) and Ministries of Tourism help dictate rules, regulations and financial obligations of the travel sector for entire countries. Beneath them live RTOs, or regional tourism organizations. These are the organizations that are most familiar to the general public and include state, county and city-run tourism offices. Chambers of commerce and convention & visitor bureaus (CVBs) are two of the most prominent and most recognizable RTOs in the United States.

But what about the M of DMOs? It is here when things become a bit convoluted for tourism leaders. Until recently, marketing was the primary objective of DMOs, and the rational was simple and unassuming: more visitors means more money and notoriety for the destination. Through advertising in travel journals and magazines, on billboards, and through radio and TV spots, DMOs have promoted their place to the masses for well over a century. Today, the world’s citizens have more disposal income than ever before, and when combined with an ever-growing appetite to explore and experience new places, travel has reached unprecedented levels. The UNWTO reported that there were 1.5 billion international tourists in 2019. These record number of travelers have begun creating rifts between local residents and the traveling community.

Overtourism widens economic gaps and has become a key-term in numerous cities All around the world, natural lands and resources are being threatened by overuse. Sociologically, cultures and traditions are being lost to a gentrifying and flattening world. The tourism ecosphere is in the midst of a cultural change, and as sustainability in travel becomes evermore important, the M of DMO is transitioning from marketing to management.

The Importance of Evolving from Marketing to Management

Research shows a unique ebb-and-flow of a tourism destination, known as Butler’s Tourism Area Life Cycle (TALC). The chart below gives a well-defined glimpse into how destinations evolve as time passes and tourism numbers increase.

The Importance of DMOs using Butler's TALC Model
DMOs: From Marketing to Management

Butler’s TALC was developed in 1980, well before the advent of budget airlines, Instagram, TripAdvisor, and other elements that make travel more accessible and desirable nowadays. Still, it provides the perfect template to show the importance of DMOs pivoting from marketing to management.

In almost all tourist destinations, marketing is designed to bring in increased numbers of visitors. Most DMOs are funded by government budget allocations and/or lodger (or bed) taxes. More visitors equates to more money, which results in more marketing. This cycle turned vicious in cities like Barcelona, Venice and Amsterdam, all of which have shown that this model is unsustainable.

Imagine, for a moment, that the solid line on the TALC chart above represented resident sentiment towards tourism. Happiness levels increase, until a state of apathy (stagnation) is reached. At this point, local constituents will either move in the direction of re-strategizing to further elevate their happiness levels, continue towards apathy, or move downwards towards anger and burnout. If the TALC chart were recreated today, perhaps stagnation would be replaced with resident/tourist discrepancy and land over-usage.

It is here – and why – that DMOs have been forced to become managers and advocates of their places. No longer is higher visitorship the main goal of these organizations. Instead, these ever-adapting travel organizations are now tasked with stewarding a more targeted market and developing plans to help conserve their destination’s environment and culture. Through public-private partnerships, destination management organizations act as the mediator between the general public, private industries, and government entities. It is a tall-task, no doubt, but when completed successfully these partnerships will enhance community engagement and relations, and ultimately create a more sustainable travel destination.

An Example of DMO as Destination Managers

In the Netherlands, and specifically Amsterdam, tourism had reached a breaking point. Residents were being priced out of homes towards the city center, bikes were being thrown into canals, and streets and shops were too crowded to stroll through leisurely. The Netherlands Board of Tourism and Conventions (NBTC) took note of this shift and made the exceptional decision to no longer market visitation to the city. Last year, NBTC published Perspective 2030 as an initiative to move tourism dollars away from marketing and towards creating a more wholistic travel structure that benefits all Dutch citizens. As the report reads, “The coming ten years will require a different view and approach compared to the previous ten years. The future needs new paradigms as a basis for new content and processes, new KPIs and changing roles…Our focus is on shared interests and putting local residents first.”

The Netherlands may be one of the first destinations to consciously and strategically use tourism as a means of endorsing the wants and needs of its constituents, but it is certainly not the last. In fact, some may argue that DMOs have acted as the managers of destinations since the first CVB was developed in Detroit, Michigan in the late 1800s.

Regardless of its history, there is no denying that the travel industry, and namely DMOs, must manage their destination and provide support for all area stakeholders, residents, government officials, and of course visitors. Involving all players will create a sustainable model that can support environmental, cultural, and economic preservation. In the end, the result of masterful destination management will be an organically-created marketing tool.

 

Why Did the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail Need a Tourism Strategy

Written by Derek Schimmel on . Posted in Strategic Planning.

Most readers will recognize the National Park Service (NPS) as the preservers of natural and cultural resources in America’s most well-known protected lands, from Yellowstone and Acadia in the north to the Everglades and Grand Canyon National Parks in the southern portion of the US.

Most American’s may not realize, however, that NPS also acts as the stewards and protectors of the country’s numerous renowned trails, including the Appalachian Trail and the Pacific Coast Trail. One of the longest of these trails is the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail that stretches 4,900 miles through 16 states, from Pittsburgh PA west to the Pacific Ocean in Oregon.

The Purpose of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail is to commemorate the 1803 to 1806 Lewis and Clark Expedition through the identification; protection; interpretation; public use and enjoyment; and preservation of historic, cultural, and natural resources associated with the expedition and its place in U.S. and tribal history. The LCNHT passes through hundreds of counties and thousands of communities as it traces the footprints of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark along America’s great rivers. Each of these towns and cities, no matter their size or population, has it an opportunity to become connected to the Trail as a means of not only preserving a critical piece of US culture and history, but also to bring forward economic gains.

This is where Solimar International enters into the story.

Note: Before moving forward into the details of why the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail needed a tourism strategy, it should be noted that the National Park Service generally does not associate itself with tourism despite receiving millions of visitors each year. (NPS reported over 327 million recreation visits in 2019.)  The leadership team for the LCNHT showed enhanced awareness in recognizing the importance leveraging the tourism industry to support residents and stakeholders along the trail.

The Need for a Strategy

Interconnectivity is vital to achieve sustainability in the tourism industry. This is true at all destination levels, whether it be in an individual city, county, state or nation. The Lewis and Clark National Historic Trial presented a unique set of opportunities in that it covers each of these four geographical (and political) points. Data suggests that over 3.1 million people visited at least one point along the Lewis and Clark Trail in 2017. These points include tribal museums, visitor centers and local/state/federal parks, not to mention the Trail’s countless hospitality enterprises. Despite a hugely eclectic group of stakeholders and millions of visitors, the LCNHT was lacking a common thread that allowed destinations and stakeholders to share a common identity.

A tourism strategy was necessary to unite the communities and individuals along the trail — all of whom have an underlying familiarity with the unique natural, cultural, historical and scenic assets of their destination – and provide a forum to build alliances. It was vital that the stakeholders acted as the storytellers for their individual community while still representing the mission and overstory of the Trail itself. This meant celebrating the character and culture of the destination while keening in on the overall sustainability of the trail. A strategy would have to be designed to allow these two forces operate in conjunction and in parallel with one another. Said another way, achieving sustainability successes along the trail would hinge on the celebration and preservation of a destinations’ culture and environment AND the trail would act as a catalyst for economic growth.

In this tourism strategy, the catalyst came in the form of Geotourism.

Geotourism Along The Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail

After discussion between NPS, Solimar, LCNHT partners and community leaders, it was determined that Geotourism would provide the framework for the most effective tourism strategy along the trail. Geotourism is defined as tourism that sustains or enhances the geographic character of a place, its environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage, and the well-being of its residents. It encompasses a range of travel including heritage, history, food, nature, adventure, the outdoors, water, music, and arts. iIn short, Geotourism celebrates any aspect of culture that makes a destination unique.

This strategy creates a link between the past and the present for communities along the trail, regardless of its place in history as it relates the Corps of Discovery. A small town in Western Iowa located on the banks of the Missouri River that is not mentioned in the Lewis and Clark journals may offer visitors phenomenal hiking trails or a brewery serving up beer made with hops from a farm across town. Ten minutes up-river and across the border in Nebraska, history buffs may find a plaque signifying camp site that the Corps of Discovery spent time hunting and fishing over 200 years ago. Bringing these two individual visitor experiences together onto one platform is a prime example of how Geotourism is being implemented along the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail.

The Platform: Lewisandclark.travel 

In addition to increased domestic and international awareness, Geotourism along the LCNHT lays the groundwork for an active community of public and private stakeholders working to conserve land and legacy. These linkages allow communities to connect with visitors that appreciate their authentic sense of place.

To bring these benefits to life, NPS and Solimar are working in conjunction to build a web platform where communities and stakeholders can write their own story and promote their brand. These stakeholders run the gamut of destination development and include:

  • Locally owned and family businesses
  • Events, ceremonies, and festivals
  • Cultural experiences such as heritage sites, museums, theaters, music,
  • Artist studios and galleries, craft workshops, and shops featuring handmade items
  • Operators of outdoor experiences such as rafting, hiking, biking, hunting
  • Historic sites such as trails, old homes, or places that features local architecture
  • Scenic routes including hiking trails, bike routes, water ways, birding trails
  • Local artist or artisan, storyteller, outdoor guide or historian

Any and all of these enterprises and sites are eligible to create an account and lewisandclark.travel and promote their own personalized page where they can write their own story through words and pictures. From a web-marketing perspective, these efforts will enhance the digital footprint of the business by creating linkages (backlinks) to the National Parks Service. Offline, participation in the program will assist local economies by bringing in more tourist dollars and increasing the tourism multiplier in communities along the trail.

Above all else, this tourism strategy for the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail acts as a catalyst for community engagement and interaction along the trail. Bringing together an eclectic variety of different members from a city/town/county – government officials, restauranteurs, hoteliers, teachers, museum curators, historians, etc. – all with a common goal and shared visions in assisting the community at large. The tourism industry is in the midst of unprecedented times with the COVID-19 pandemic, and enhanced community relations via sustainable tourism is one of the key steps in coming out of this strong than ever.

 

Introducing our Summer 2020 Tourism Internship Cohort

Written by Derek Schimmel on . Posted in Our Team.

Solimar International is excited to introduce our Summer 2020 tourism intern cohort and future leaders of sustainable tourism development. Representing a mix of university students and recent graduates all pursuing a career in sustainable tourism, this group brings a plethora of global travel experience and will play an important role in supporting Solimar’s projects, research and communications efforts.

Matt Clausen

Matt is a current graduate student pursuing a master’s degree in International Sustainable Tourism at the University of North Texas. Matt grew up in central Missouri and completed his undergraduate studies in business administration at the University of Missouri – Columbia. In previous positions, Matt served in the Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic, taught English in the Republic of Georgia, and worked for the National Park Service. He enjoys all things adventure and the outdoors, from summiting mountains to mastering local public transportation abroad. Matt was drawn to Solimar for its emphasis and expertise on sustainable tourism and international development. Current and past projects with Solimar all pique his interest and he is excited to gain practical experience through working directly on projects. Matt places high importance on sustainable travel and conservation so that all may have the opportunity to enjoy the wonders of the world for generations to come.

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Rebecca Pierobon

Rebecca started her post baccalaureate career this year in London, as a business development analyst, and will intern with Solimar as she transitions to a Masters program in Accounting and Finance with a minor in Sustainable Tourism. Born and raised in Northern Italy’s bucolic Monferrato wine zone, she has been immersed in local tourism since childhood, helping her bicultural family with their accommodation  properties and guiding foreign guests through vineyards and villages. She volunteers with local organizations that orient incomers and work to develop responsible tourism in the land of Slow Food and Open Castles. Traveling in search of the world’s organic beauties is Rebecca’s passion, with regular trips to the Bahama Out Islands, around the USA and Europe. She plans to use her business skills and her Solimar experience to combine this passion with her future career path. “Who knows where it will lead me?”

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Micaela Pacheco

Mica is from Potomac, Maryland. She is a rising senior at the University of Toronto, double majoring in Political Science and International Relations with a minor in European Studies. She has served as a Compliance Analyst for the G7 Research Group at the Munk School of Global Affairs for the Biarritz and Charlevoix Summit cycles. Through her work with the G7 Research Group, she researched and published four reports on the United State’s and France’s compliance on counter-terrorism and the European Union’s and Italy’s efforts in preventing and protecting the victims of sexual assault and harassment.

Through her international background and her studies, she became interested in the effects that tourism can have on developing economies. She is interested in the ways countries can combine industries in the efforts of increasing tourist prospects while also diversifying their economies. Her goal in life is to change a life, no matter how big or small that effect is. Thus, through the development of sustainable tourism plans, she truly feels that the long term impacts of such works will significantly affect people’s lives for the better.

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Kari Barber

Kari grew up in Buckley, Washington, and moved to Missoula, Montana, in 2016. She is currently a student at the University of Montana, working towards her Bachelor’s degree in Geography with a Minor in Film. Since she was young, Kari has has been in love with lacrosse. Throughout high school, she worked for a local business in Buckley, Washington, called Total Sports, specializing in private lessons for men’s and women’s lacrosse. When she moved to Missoula and played for the University of Montana’s woman’s lacrosse team, she wanted to explore new avenues to continue to grow the game. During the last two seasons, Kari has coached youth lacrosse for the Missoula Mustangs and Sentinel High School.

As Kari writes, “When I came across Solimar International and their Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail program, I couldn’t believe the opportunity. I have studied hazard and mitigation planning, recreation, and visitor management and feel that Solimar International has given me a chance to combine my previous coursework and apply it to what they all have in prevalent, sustainable tourism. The idea of keeping the geographic character of a place alive while also promoting the extent of travel that anyone can experience is precisely why I am passionate about sustainable tourism.”

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Sophie Levy

Sophie discovered her passion for sustainable tourism and development while hiking the Jordan Trail, a 400-mile trek spanning across 52 villages in Jordan. While on this solo thru-hike, she gained insight into the intersectionality of sustainable tourism, environment conservation, local engagement, and economic stability. A passionate writer, she journaled throughout her experience in hopes of articulating the stories and encouraging more women to embrace the challenges and benefits of traveling solo. She understood the value of human connection in the industry and the importance of grassroots tourism for both the traveler and local economy and community. She especially admires Solimar’s goal of implementing projects that would result in self-sufficiency, environmental protectionism, cultural preservation, and economic viability for local communities in tourism across the globe.

Born and raised in Germantown, Tennessee, Sophie grew up as an active member of her community. Invested in the Middle East, she spent two summers working abroad. In Israel, she was the Diversity and Social Justice Intern for Beit Ha’Gefen Arab-Jewish Culture Center and developed an intercultural curriculum for Israeli, Arab, and American youth. The following summer, she spearheaded a grant for Greening The Camps, a nonprofit that builds sustainable greenhouse gardens on the rooftops of Palestinian refugee camps. Additionally, she served as an English Instructor for Galaxy, a Jordanian nonprofit empowering marginalized communities through digital education. She is a recent graduate of American University where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in International Studies focused on Peace, Global Security, and Conflict Resolution and minored in Economics and Arabic.

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Mary Hass

Mary is a History and English major at Northern Kentucky University. She has lived in Bellevue, KY for her entire life and this internship is my first real work experience. Though this is her first job, she has been involved in multiple creative projects, especially since joining Norse Film Society (her college’s film club).

 Mary wanted to get involved with Solimar and the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail project because of her love of history and wanting to help make historical experiences more accessible. In her own words: “Following the path that Lewis and Clark took and stopping at historical sites and charming towns sounds like a dream vacation to me, so I was very excited the moment I heard about the internship. On a more philosophical level, I think that interactive history is very important because it instills a love for history in people, especially children, who might not have been interested otherwise. Perhaps if we can get future generations to be more interested in history, we can stop them from repeating historical mistakes. I also strongly believe in sustainable tourism because I think that tourism should help local communities and that people can learn a lot from experiencing cultures and ways of life other than their own.”

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Caecilia Shenshen He

Caecilia is a cultural and heritage tourism lover that fell deeply in love with travelling at a very young age. As a backpacker, she visited South Korea, China, Myanmar, Hongkong, Tibet, India, Morocco, USA, Canada, Spain and other less popular destinations. She was born in China and grew up in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. She started her career in tourism more than 10 years ago as a tour guide while studying at McGill University. She has 10 years of experience in tourism operation and tourism consulting between China and Canada. Caecilia has her BA in Accounting from McGill University and is a current student at Master in Tourism Administration program at The George Washington University with a major in sustainable destination management.

In her own words: “In order to protect destination communities and sustain cultural heritage destinations for future generations, my true passion is to help cultural heritage destinations around the world to be developed in a sustainable way. Since Solimar is a leading sustainable tourism consulting firm, I could learn about good practice experiences that can help destinations in improving sustainably. In addition, the most important reason to attract me to intern at Solimar is the Solimar Team, who are the group of expertise working in the sustainable tourism industry with the pursuit of authenticity, historic values, and development of cultural traditions at all destinations.”

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Beau Baiocchi

Beau is a recent graduate of The George Washington University earning a BA in International Affairs with a concentration in international environmental studies and minors in geography and spanish language. Interested in cultural preservation and sustainable tourism, Beau previously worked at the Embassy of Argentina as a Cultural Affairs and Public Diplomacy intern after returning from his junior year abroad, where he studied at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile in Santiago, Chile. He is excited to continue learning about the geotourism industry while furthering sustainable, community based initiatives.

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Frank Baird

Frank’s passion for travel and sustainability run deep. Most of his best memories of life involve travel. Whether it be from exploring the Mayan Ruins in Tulum, The Arch of Cabo San Lucas, or traversing through the longest trail in Zion National; he lives for travel. The best way to keep these tourism hubs alive is to develop them sustainably. Our responsibility is to protect our natural and cultural sites so that future generations may continue to enjoy them.

That is what inspired Frank to get involved in politics at a young age. At sixteen, he joined the Kenton County Democratic Party as an intern. After gaining experience and knowledge, he was voted onto the executive board, a position that he still holds. At 18, he is amongst the youngest in the state to hold such a position. Currently, Frank is continuing his studies at Northern Kentucky University, just outside of Cincinnati and is majoring in Economics and History.

 

If you pursuing a career in sustainable tourism and interested in gaining experience with a development consulting firm, click here to learn more about becoming a part of our internship program for the Fall 2020 semester.

How to Conduct Supply Side Tourism Research Online

Written by Derek Schimmel on . Posted in Strategic Planning.

Conducting supply side research is an essential prerequisite to creating a strategic plan as the supply of tourism assets translates to its economic growth potential and shapes recommendations for the future of the industry. To create products such as long-term strategies, visions, and action plans, Solimar must first understand how tourism is currently developed in the destination of focus. Questions asked should include: 

  • What is the existing level of tourism infrastructure? 
  • What accommodations and attractions are available and of what quality? 
  • What kinds of flights are available at and what cost? 

Solimar uses simple web sources such as Tripadvisor, Lonely Planet, and booking.com to help answer these questions and understand the challenges and opportunities present for tourism development in a country or region. Many countries and US states also have a dedicated tourism website that contain information on services, attractions and itineraries in the area. This type of research is also extremely valuable for individual travelers researching destinations when planning their own trips.  

Using Supply Side Research to Inform a Destination Strategy

Solimar uses a standard set of factors to review a destination and assess the existing tourism supply. These consist of:

  • Existing historical, cultural and natural attractions
  • Areas of high biodiversity value, including national parks and protected areas
  • Itineraries, routes, packages and the potential of creating connections with nearby destinations 
  • Hotels, rental properties, and the availability of other accommodation infrastructure
  • Existing services (extent and quality) including airlift, transportation, accessibility, and health care facilities 
  • Environmental factors and biodiversity
  • Existing tour companies servicing the destination (both inbound and outbound) and tours 
  • Extent of current tourism in area (flights, # of travelers, effect of cost), including any trends in arrivals
  • Traveler behavior in area (where they go, level of spending, general satisfaction)

Other more general factors also merit attention. For example, political stability and economic climate can greatly affect a country’s ability to attract investment and tourism. In particular, reviewing government policy towards tourism at national, regional, and local levels is imperative as the government is a key stakeholder and will almost certainly be an important partner in developing tourism plans. Additionally, information about population dynamics, cultural heritage, geography, and history can inform decision making or simply serve as useful background knowledge.

Completing a destination review by gathering the relevant information and reviewing any prior strategies is a necessary preliminary step before any fieldwork takes place. The more information our consulting team has, the better prepared we will be to meet stakeholders on the ground, ask the critical questions, and demonstrate an understanding of local trends and issues. The gaps of information that are unavailable online or in print sources are then flagged to be gathered during the field assessment.

Although the pandemic is preventing travel currently, now is a great time to conduct your own supply side research to destinations on your bucket list. For ideas, check out Solimar’s list of projects.

The COVID-19 Pandemic and Earth Day Webinar: Rethinking Sustainable Tourism

Written by Derek Schimmel on . Posted in Blog.

Statistics on the Current State of Tourism and Why Sustainability is More Important than Ever

April 22, 2020 marked the 50-year anniversary of Earth Day. Though holidays may not be at the forefront of the minds of many Americans, it is important to recognize this special day and consider how sustainability will be affected by COVID-19. Solimar’s CEO Chris Seek participated in a webinar in conjunction with Miles Partnership, a tourism consulting and marketing firm and partner of Solimar International, on how destinations and tourism partners can renew their focus on sustainability and destination stewardship with the tourism industry being forced to hit the reset button. The webinar was led and organized by Chris Adams, Head of Research and Insights at Miles, which is continuing to host webinars and support research to help the tourism industry recover from COVID-19.

Current State of American Traveler Sentiment

The webinar began with Erin Francis Cummings, President of Destination Analysts, sharing a summary of their ongoing weekly surveys of Americans to gauge feelings and expectations about travel in light of COVID-19. The perceived safety of travel activities finally improved slightly during the week of April 20th after several weeks of decline. While 37% responded that they would not travel until a vaccine is developed, a similar number disagreed.

Americans also rank travel as one of the first things they want to do after stay-at-home restrictions are lifted. Although the tourism industry is currently hurting, these statistics show that there will be a recovery as demand becomes “pent-up”. 

Americans are also concerned about health risks. Three-quarters say they approve of mandatory health screenings at airports, and two-thirds do not want tourists coming to their communities during the crisis. This suggests that many Americans will change the type of destinations they will visit, and a trend of “active staycations” may emerge. A focus on day trips and local travel will likely recover before international travel does. To watch this section of the webinar, click here.

Current Challenges in Sustainability and Stewardship

Erin Francis Cummings went on to present research conducted in the fall of 2019, which reflected concerns about over-tourism and its environmental impact. According to the State of the American Traveler study, 63% of Americans have told others about over-tourism problems in a specific destination, and half are less likely to visit a destination with these issues. Additionally, data shows a generational divide in how Americans view travel as it relates to tourism, with Gen Z as the most concerned about its environmental effects. The good news is that 32% of all Americans consider leisure travel an important component of their happiness and well-being, and roughly 50% feel tourism is important for their local economies. In short, tourism may be down, but it will be back. Click here to learn more results from the study.

Cathy Ritter, the Director of the Colorado Tourism Office then discussed how DMOs can effectively market and manage their local destinations while addressing environmental and health issues. One such option is to create itineraries and websites for less-visited locales, thus creating a supply for travelers who may be more concerned about health risks and the environment in the future. Creating shared messaging and advertisements with organizations such as the Leave No Trace Center can help ensure that traveler etiquette and sustainability tips are recognized and followed. For the full video of Colorado Tourism’s strategies, click here.

Launching partnerships and coalitions is another great way to encourage sustainability and boost profits for small businesses. Kristin Dahl, VP of Destination Development at Travel Oregon discussed the success of its various Food Trails itineraries, bringing travelers into smaller, rural communities and helping entrepreneurs gain visibility in Oregon’s greater tourism ecosphere. Similarly, the recently developed Care for Colorado Coalition that includes hotel associations, tour operators, guides, and culinary groups around the state is designed around sharing a unified message directed towards tourists to promote a more environmentally mindful way of visiting Colorado.

These types of strategies help strengthen the travel industry and expand opportunities for travelers concerned about both public health and environmental issues. For more examples from Travel Oregon, click here.

Solimar’s Sustainability and Destination Management Strategies

Chris Seek, Solimar International’s CEO, ended the webinar by presenting international examples of sustainability. He stated that DMOs can play a special role in addressing the wants and needs of visitors and residents alike while inspiring the private sector and government to work together in creating integrated plans for destination management and sustainability. For example, Solimar has worked in Sedona, Arizona for several years after local residents and elected officials expressed concern over tourism’s effects on natural resources and habitats. Solimar stepped in to bring together shareholders, such as the city government, chamber of commerce, and Forest Service to create a shared, long-term strategy and action plan based on GSTC (Global Sustainable Tourism Council) criteria.

Planning and site management can also be strengthened through key partnerships. Solimar has been delighted to work with the EU and National Geographic to develop the World Heritage Journeys platform. Solimar developed themed routes, branding guidelines, and a website to promote UNESCO World Heritage sites. The project also engages managers, marketers, and tour operators to execute plans and programs to enhance the quality and sustainability of their destinations.

Finally, one third way of conserving biodiversity in destinations is to establish visitor funding mechanisms. Solimar has worked in Timor-Leste establishing a DMO and creating a forthcoming website. Reefs in Timor-Leste are some of the most biodiverse in the world, and to preserve this ecology, Solimar encouraged the local DMO to enforce a $2 fee for snorkelers and divers to support conservation projects and local fishermen. This kind of funding source is especially important in developing economies that may have less support for tourism from local and national governments.  For the full video of Chris’s section, click here.

In sum, while some tourism strategies may need to be adjusted due to COVID-19, other long-term priorities can continue to address sustainability issues. There will likely be a heavy push towards domestic tourism once we are all allowed to move freely, and government entities are in place to enable conditions for growth. Creating and enhancing linkages via partnerships will help the tourism industry recover and ultimately make it more resilient. The current situation affords an opportunity to refocus on long-term destination stewardship, marketing, and management.

Solimar is grateful for the opportunity to participate in the webinar and help guide the conversation. Click here to view the full webinar recording.

Read on to find out where Solimar is dreaming of traveling this year for Earth Day.

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