Sustainable Tourism | Ecotourism | Destinations & Communities
Providing market-based solutions to sustainable tourism, preserving invaluable social and environmental capital for the well being of local people worldwide. LEARN MORE
THE INVISIBLE BURDEN:
Groundbreaking Reports
& Analysis
ECOTOURISM:
Business Development
& Field Engagements
SPEAKING:
Speaking & Strategic
Destination Evaluation
KEY AFFILIATIONS:
Harvard University, Cornell University, The Travel Foundation
FEATURED PROJECTS
Building a Resilient Puerto Rican Ecotourism Industry Post Hurricane Maria
Tunisian Tourism and Environmental Health in a Changing Climate
Developing a Sustainable Tourism Economy in El Salvador
Social and Environmentally Responsible Tourism in Sierra Leone
Sri Lankan Model Rainforest Ecolodge
Community-Based Tourism in Bangladesh’s Protected Areas
The Gems of Brazil’s Nature Tourism along the Estrada Real
Latin American Tour Operators Plan for Sustainable Tourism
What’s New?
An HBS Wilderness Safari Case
National Geographic announced in March 2021 that “both African elephant species are now critically endangered.”
An ecotourism case by HBS, co-authored by Megan Epler Wood alongside James E. Austin and Herman B. Leonard, shows how ecotourism management in Botswana has led to a secure sanctuary for elephants in the Okavango Delta. Wilderness with RISE Impact Investment aims to make even more land secure for elephants.
Results from the Build Back Better: Reconstructing Governmental Systems and Policies Roundtable, organized and moderated by Megan Epler Wood at Harvard Extension on November 19, 2020, are in. Results from the forum include:
- Forum participants agreed that a new system of government for tourism is needed which incorporates sustainability into all levels of strategic decision-making.
- New indicators of success are required which will enable a full range of stakeholders to review how destinations are meeting Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Paris climate goals.
- Governments will be required to build the management of sustainable goals directly into the tourism economy’s recovery.
Videos with innovative concepts were presented in advance by organizations including the OECD, the Travel Foundation and PATA who were partners in the event, and McKinsey & Company. Students and invited experts attended via webinar. The goal of the effort was to supply a range of optimal government structures which can yield consistent sustainability outcomes.
Nice interview with our EWI Program Director, O'Shannon Burns on food waste.
“A lot of the responsibility needs to be on operators themselves, but the reality is that travelers can push them to do better. Hotels and dive boats are in the service industry & should be prepared to answer.” —EplerWood Program Director O’Shannon Burns
https://t.co/fJLkDrv4u1
Thanks @RTO12Kate there was some good specific, actionable dialog. Glad you were in on it!
Excellent session on “Building Back Better” by the Whistler Institute. RTO12 has identified need for a “regional data hub” mentioned by @MeganEplerWood & will work to create this via our new regenerative strategy. Thx @GoWhistler @DstnThink & to the Mayor - extremely engaging!
Essential Videos
The international tourism economy has experienced historic lows throughout the world caused by the global COVID-19 pandemic. Travel and Tourism contributed $3.0 trillion USD to Asia and the Pacific (APAC) Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2019, and one third of all new jobs over the past five years were created by the sector. A firm platform for the travel and tourism recovery process is required, which will ensure that finance reaches millions of individuals and serves to protect the region’s most valued cultural, historical, and environmental assets upon which the industry depends.
A Marshall Plan for Financing Tourism Economic Recovery
© EplerWood International (2020)