In Canada, the Nisga’a Offer an Indigenous Tourism Model

How to present an indigenous culture “written in the land” to tourists? Along with Laura Hope, communications manager at Coast Funds, Bert Mercer, the economic development manager for the Nisg̱a’a Lisims Government, describes the process of tying together a culturally sensitive tourism experience for visitors to the Nisga’a First Nation in British Columbia.

Weaving a Cultural Tourism Story

The Nisg̲a’a Highway, running through the heart of our Nation’s lands in Canada’s rugged northwest coast, was given the numeric designation 113. The number was not chosen arbitrarily; between 1887, when Nisg̲a’a chiefs travelled… READ MORE→

Once Overrun, Dubrovnik Plans for Sustainability

Dubrovnik, Croatia, a UNESCO World Heritage city, is known as the ‘Pearl of the Adriatic Sea’, its historic city center surrounded by original medieval stone walls – and until recently, thronged with cruise ship passengers. In 2017, that began to change. The following before-and-after story has been provided by the Mayor’s Office, City of Dubrovnik (with a closing note on the Covid hiatus).

‘Respect the City’ Program Includes Limits on Cruise-ship Crowds

Dubrovnik, a champion of Croatian tourism, is a city that is both a museum and a performance… READ MORE→

Measuring Destination Happiness

Publications and more

• Becker, E. (2016). Overbooked: The Exploding Business of Travel and Tourism. Simon & Schuster. “In this ‘meticulously reported and often disturbing exposé of the travel industry’, (The New York Times Book Review), Elizabeth Becker describes… its huge effect on the world economy, the environment, and our culture.”

• Bunten, A. C. (2015). So, How Long Have You Been Native?: Life as an Alaska Native Tour Guide. University of Nebraska Press.
“Firsthand account of what it is like to work in the Alaska cultural tourism industry.”

• Honey, M. & Frenkiel, K. (2021). Overtourism: Lessons for a Better Future. Island Press. Due out 26 May. “Bringing together tourism officials, city council members, travel journalists, consultants, scholars, and trade association members, this practical book explores overcrowding from a variety of perspectives.”

• Guyette, S. (2013). Sustainable Cultural Tourism: Small-Scale Solutions. BearPath Press. “This practical text guides tourism planning and development efforts from within cultures—addressing regional linkages, the tourism plan, visitor surveys, marketing, cultural centers and museums, job creation, and enterprise development, as well as evaluation of sustainability.”

• Stavans, I., & Ellison, J. (2015). Reclaiming Travel. Duke University Press Books. “Based on a controversial opinion piece originally published in the New York Times, Reclaiming Travel is a provocative meditation on the meaning of travel from ancient times to the twenty-first century.”

• World Monuments Fund. (2015). Harboring Tourism: Cruise Ships in Historic Port Communities. “This publication reports on the proceedings of Harboring Tourism: An International Symposium on Cruise Ships in Historic Port Communities, held February 6–8, 2013, in Charleston, South Carolina.”

• Wood, M.E., Milstein, M., & Ahamed-Broadhurst, K. Destinations at Risk: The Invisible Burden of Tourism | Travel Foundation “This report describes how destinations must uncover and account for tourism’s hidden costs.”