2016 summit: plenary – national geographic geotourism project
TRANSCRIPT
delawareriver.natgeotourism.com
National Geographic is driven by a passionate belief in the power of science, exploration, and storytelling to change the world.
delawareriver.natgeotourism.com
Geotourism – “tourism that sustains or enhances the geographical character of a place – its environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage, and the well-being of its residents.”
Geotourism leverages the power of National Geographic and local partners to gather and disseminate rich information about the unique and authentic aspects of a destination.
Local Voices…..
……Inspire Global Audiences
Palau, Rock Islands, World Heritage Site
The product is the “place” Protect our place based authenticity
Sitka, Alaska
Great places
to live…..
…..are great places to visit…..
www.tennesseerivervalleygeotourism.org
Toledo, Spain by El Greco, who died in Toledo, Spain in 1614
Photo taken of Toledo, Spain in 2012
Plan for the long term
Maximize the Visitor Experience:
Telling the story of our places
www.fourcornersgeotourism.com
Telling our own story
Brasov, Romania
Micro, small and medium businesses
Douro Valley of Portugal www.discoverdourovalley.com
INDICATORS
a) Not the number of visitors; it is the quality of the visits b) Length of stay and money spent c) Distribution of income from tourism; money spent locally d) How tourism is sustaining sense of place
Identify, Develop, Market and Sustain Our Place Based Authenticity
Heart of the Continent – Ontario (CAN), Minn. (USA)
http://www.traveltheheart.com
U.S.A. Gulf Coast States
http://www.usgulfcoaststatesgeotourism.com
Bahamas
http://www.bahamasgeotourism.com
Four Corners – Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah
http://www.fourcornersgeotourism.com
Crown of the Continent – Montana (USA), Alberta,
British Columbia (Canada)
http://www.crownofthecontinent.net
Greater Yellowstone – Idaho, Montana, Wyoming
http://www.yellowstonegeotourism.org
Sierra Nevada – California, Nevada
http://www.sierranevadageotourism.org
The Central Cascades - Oregon, Washington
http://www.thecentralcascades.com
Colombia’s Caribbean
http://www.caribbeancolombia.com
East Tennessee River Valley - Tennessee
http://www.tennesseerivervalleygeotourism.org
Lakes to Locks Passage – New York
http://www.lakestolocks.org
Douro Valley of Portugal
http://www.discoverdourovalley.com
Newfoundland, Canada
http://www.nlgeotourism.com
Sierranevadageotourism.org
crownofthecontinent.natgeotourism.com
easternsrilanka.natgeotourism.com
Mississippiriver.natgeotourism.com
Who is a Geotourist? • A market of about 55.1 million Americans • Average age is 43-55 years / High level of education • Average household incomes high (45% earning more than $75K/annum) • Take 4 or more leisure trips each year (on average) • Seek authentic travel experiences • Care about the protection and preservation of the places they visit • Willing to spend more money and time to achieve these goals • International travelers tend towards a geotourism profile
Who are Geotravelers?
How do they behave?
Geotravelers "go local". They patronize local owned businesses and eat at restaurants serving regional cuisine. They buy from local crafts people and seek out traditional music and dance. As a result the money they spend helps local people earn a living and preserve their destinations authenticity.
Millennials; the first global generation Birth years ranging from the early 1980s to the mid or late 1990s
Over 75.4 million in the USA
Millennials from both China and USA exhibit social media and consumer behavior more like each other than they do from other generations in their
respective countries….wikipedia; Pew Research Center
Millennials are identified as "digital natives” ....Pew Research Center
Cultural experiences reign over “partying”
The “experience economy”, a term deemed by businesses to create memorable events for their customers, is consuming the travel industry with 72% of millennials choosing to spend more money on experiences than material items. 86% of millennials would rather experience a new culture when they travel 78% of millennials want to learn something new while they travel. 54% of millennials said they would pick a destination because they want to experience a particular culture ….. Topdeck Travel sourced from Huffington Post
Millennials are 23 percent more likely to travel abroad than their older counterparts. On track to spend $1.4 trillion on travel each year by 2020.
• Millennial travelers want technology - great WiFi, apps and accessibility via a lot of different technology channels. • Millennial travelers believe their peers. They’re less likely to listen to a straightforward advertisement for a hotel, but they will follow the comments and recommendations of their friends and colleagues via social media • Millennial travelers want to leave their hotel rooms. The increasing popularity of more social lobby areas, with lots of space to plug in and work as well as socialize, is testament to the fact that millennial travelers are less likely to sit hunched over their hotel room desk when traveling for business or pleasure. …….sourced from Huffington Post
delawareriver.natgeotourism.com
Supporters Contacts Nominations
Featured Contributors
My Trip Ideas About Local Voices
Trip Plans
Places to Go
Where to Stay
Things to Do
delawareriver.natgeotourism.com
Interactive Map Layers Search
Content
Content contributed by a local person
Authentic Provided by a local Rich Information Geo-Located
Connects Travelers Trip Planner Co-Branded Resources for Travelers
Authentic Provided by a local Rich Information Geo-Located Connects Travelers Trip Planner Co-Branded Resources for Travelers
delawareriver.natgeotourism.com
The best travel advice….comes from the people who live here
Link Badge for your website Post roll out
630 Users 628 Active Content Entries Site always “open” for new nomination content
The Geotourism Stewardship Council
Role and Responsibilities
• Organize the Council • Create the Website • Manage the Geotourism Program • Maintain and Sustain the Program
Save in “My Trip Plans”
“Trip Plans”: Inventory of vetted sample itineraries
Add to Trip Plans
Saved in My Trip Ideas
My Trip Ideas
Select contributions to create your itinerary
Name your trip
Describe your trip
Your route
Directions
Time and distance
• Mix and match; • Take notes • Add photos • Share on social media
Trip Plans
Trip Plan recommended by a local…. ………because the best travel information comes from the people who live there
About
Local Voices
Themes
Themes are stories told in the words of the people who live here
delawareriver.natgeotourism.com
Mobile Site
Contacts: John Beljean - NPCA Frank Biasi - Nat Geo
• High quality on line interactive website, responsive application
and embeddable micro sites to publish content on other sites
• Geotourism Stewardship
Council with a strategic business plan outlining the future of the program
• Public relations and initial outreach and marketing to roll out and promote the destination
• Established network of sites, attractions and businesses to inspire visitors to come and experience the place
Geotourism Program for the Scenic, Wild Delaware River
delawareriver.natgeotourism.com
delawareriver.natgeotourism.com