Browsing by Subject "Geotourism"
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Item Open Access A Progress Evaluation of National Geographic’s Geotourism Program(2012-04-25) Nystrom, Joel; Brouwer, Susannah; Torres, Hannah; Stern, TamarNational Geographic’s Geotourism Program is a sustainable tourism initiative designed to ease the negative impacts of mass tourism through a branding opportunity and grassroots structure that empowers local stakeholders to showcase regional and cultural identity. While previous studies on National Geographic’s Geotourism Program have investigated the potential and achieved successes from certain perspectives, the Geotourism charter mandates that program evaluation should consider all stakeholder interests (Boley 2009, Leonard 2011). This study contributes to a comprehensive evaluation by analyzing progress from a previously unexplored perspective: that of the participating sites in two regions: Sierra Nevada and Crown of the Continent (COTC) region. Quantitative and qualitative data collection instruments gather information from participating sites that then is evaluated by indicators in three categories: social, environmental and economic. Social impact proves to be the strongest success of the project as participants are encouraged to learn about the assets of their region, and share regional information with visitors. The study also reveals that participants who buy into the Geotourism Project by educating visitors and incorporating it into their business planning documents recognize the greatest degree of project impact. Analysis of the results yields recommendations for how stakeholder education and involvement, impact measurement, and project positioning can be more effectively integrated into each destination’s strategic plan.Item Open Access A Progress Evaluation of National Geographic's Geotourism Program(2012-04-26) Torres, Hannah; Nystrom, Joel; Stern, Tamar; Brouwer, SusannahIn response to the deleterious effects of traditional mass tourism, National Geographic launched a Geotourism Program in 1997 in an effort to sustain or enhance the geographical character of a place – its environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage, and the well-being of its residents. A major tenet of Geotourism is establishing an evaluation process for strategies implemented by Geotourism destinations. This study targets one stakeholder group - businesses featured on the Geotourism MapGuide - through an exploratory case study approach to create a methodology and establish baseline data for a participant evaluation system. Data collection instruments determine the social, economic and environmental impacts of the Geotourism Project as perceived by participants in two destinations: Sierra Nevada and Crown of the Continent. Analysis of results yields recommendations for how stakeholder education and involvement, impact measurement, and project positioning can be more effectively integrated into each destination’s strategic plan.