THE GUIDING PRINCIPLES OF THE FUTURE OF TOURISM COALITION
ByByTim O’Donoghue, Carrie Geraci, JHRiverwind Public ArtFoundation
In early 2020, the Riverwind Foundation joined a coalition of international organizations calling for a rebalance of the tourism sector as it recovers from COVID-19. The Future of Tourism Coalition was created by Center for Responsible Travel (CREST), Destination Stewardship Center, Green Destinations, Sustainable Travel International, Tourism Cares, and the Travel Foundation, with the guidance of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC). Twenty-two founding signatories including the Riverwind Foundation and over 200 additional organizations and businesses who represent a diverse cross-section of key industry stakeholders have committed thus far. They are influencers in the movement, demonstrating leadership and adherence to the Guiding Principles in their product and business practices. They will provide guidance to the Global Coalition as plans are put in place to support travel and tourism entities long-term in their strategy to place destinations and communities at the core of their work. The Riverwind Foundation anticipates that this partnership will benefit our community with guidance, best practices, and practical strategies for protecting the very reasons why we live here and visitors come: our wildlife, wild lands, and community character. Decades of unfettered growth in travel have put the world’s treasured places, including Jackson Hole and the greater Yellowstone region, at risk – environmentally, culturally, socially, and financially. While the global travel and tourism industries face a precarious and uncertain future due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, it’s clear that visitation and its attendant impacts will continue in Jackson Hole and Yellowstone. As tourism moves forward and recovers, re-centering around a strong set of principles is vital for long term sustainability and equitable growth. To rally global change, the Coalition has put forth Guiding Principles that outline a bold vision for tourism’s path forward. The first three of these principles are described below.
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PRINCIPLE #1: SEE THE (JACKSON) WHOLE PICTURE Most tourism by its nature involves the destination as a whole, not only industry businesses, but also its ecosystems, natural resources, cultural assets and traditions, communities, aesthetics, and built infrastructure – our place and people. Our tourism businesses rely on the character, appeal, and resources of the destination as a whole. For us, it’s the interwoven elements of wildlife, scenery, natural and recreational resources, and western community and culture. All of these elements together constitute a sense of place for all of us. Planning for the future of our tourism requires thinking beyond business recovery and success, and building a solid, holistic foundation for visitor and destination management. Securing the future of tourism requires investing in the long-term health and vitality of all of the different elements that comprise our lands and region as a whole. Questions to Consider in Seeing the Whole Picture: • Where does money from tourism dollars end up? • What kind of tourists are arriving now and in the future? • What are the hidden environmental, social, and economic costs? • Who makes decisions within our community and destination, including who and what defines “success”?
PRINCIPLE #2: USE SUSTAINABILITY STANDARDS Teton County was selected in 2012 by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) as one of the first six early adopters worldwide of sustainable destination criteria. The assessment conducted by the GSTC resulted
