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Center for Sustainable Destinations

GeotourismVirtuous Circle

Place-based tourism Community

benefit

Motive to protect


Destination Stewardship ScoresDestination Stewardship Scores

How Tourism Relates to Place, or DoesnHow Tourism Relates to Place, or Doesn’’tt

Unity through Unity through GeotourismGeotourism

GeotourismGeotourism Principles Principles

Taking ActionTaking Action


1. Integrity of place

2. International codes

3. Market selectivity

4. Market diversity

5. Tourist enthusiasm

6. Community involvement

7. Community benefit

8. Protection and enhancement

of destination appeal

9. Land use

10. Conservation of resources

11. Planning

12. Interactive interpretation

13. Evaluation

The Geotourism Principles

Compatible with Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria


A Geotourism Strategy

• Identify• Sustain • Develop • Market

geotourism assets


The Geotourists

• Landmark Study: “Geotourism: The New Trend In Travel”

• Conducted by USTA (TIA) and National Geographic Traveler

• First look at sustainable travel behavior and beliefs among US travelers

Americans and Sustainable Travel: Taking A Closer Look


SEGMENT SIZE

Geo-Savvys11%

Urban Sophisticates13%

Good Citizens11%

Traditionalists11%

Wishful Thinkers14%

Apathetics13%

Outdoor Sportsmen14%

Self-Indulgents13%

Percent of 154 million who traveled in past 3 years


$76.1

$63.8$68.5

$63.2

$67.9

$53.2$53.0$53.8

$70.3

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

Mean

Geo-S

avvy

sSop

histic

ates

Self-In

dulge

ntsGoo

d Citiz

ens

or Spo

rtsmen

Apathe

tics

Traditio

nalis

tsish

ful Thin

kers

Trip

s in

pas

t 3 y

rs

$0

$10

$20

$30

$40

$50

$60

$70

$80

HH$000

GEO-SAVVY

S

URBAN SOPHIS-TICATES

SELF-INDUL-GENTS

GOOD CITIZENS

OUTDOOR

SPORTS-MEN

APA-THETICS

TRADI-TIONALIST

S

WISHFUL THINKER

S

MEAN

HH INCOME

NUMBER NUMBER OF TRIPSOF TRIPS

U.S. INTERNATIONALtravelers


Geotraveler sample comments

• “See that the money spent on tourism goes to support community visited”

• “Not visiting the world as though it was a theme park”

• “Use local, hire local”

• ”Perhaps more advertising about the culture of the places being traveled to”

SOURCE: NGT Reader Panel 2007


Geotourism Principle 6

• Community involvement:

Base tourism on community assets


School project: What you like most aboutBlock Island?


Sustaining Geotourism Assets

Protect the tourism Protect the tourism product: product:

The placeThe place!!


Geotourism Principle 10• Conservation of resources:

Promote environmental management plans for energy,

pollution, lighting, etc.

Protect habitats!


Ecotourism continues to grow:

For instance, For instance, a large proportion of a large proportion of

EnglishEnglish--speaking tourists speaking tourists like to watch birds.like to watch birds.


Percent of Americans who watch birds, by household income

2124

27 27

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

<$40,000 $40-$75K $75K-$100K >$100K

46 million potential tourists46 million potential tourists

geotourism virtuous circle - onecaribbean.org · “geotourism: the new trend in travel” •...

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