Measuring Success of National Geographic Society's Geotourism Program
Abstract
Geotourism is a method of implementing sustainable tourism developed by National Geographic
Society (NGS) to promote stewardship of the world’s distinctive travel destinations.
As of April 2011, fourteen regional destinations in six countries have undertaken
this community-based marketing strategy, which aims to expand traveler access to authentic,
sustainable travel options.
The Geotourism Program has potential to contribute to environmental sustainability,
benefit local economies, and preserve regional and cultural authenticity. However,
NGS and destination partners need a system of evaluation to gauge impacts and measure
success of all geotourism initiatives. In this study, I used participatory action
research and case study methods to identify success indicators and develop three measures
of success (MOS) tools: a Stewardship Council Assessment, Program Sustainability Assessment,
and Web User Survey. These data collection instruments are based on evaluation interests
of the Western U.S. Geotourism Collaboration. By implementing the same MOS methodology
across projects, evidence of project successes may be aggregated to create a strong
case for future project funding. Relevant background for each of the six western U.S.
projects is provided in this report.
Additionally, I report results from the research process and pilot use of MOS tools
on three western U.S. initiatives: Crown of the Continent, Sierra Nevada and Greater
Yellowstone Geotourism. Baseline data collected to date reveals that the most conclusive
evidence of project successes are impacts related to ‘Regional Identity and Collaboration.’
Once fully revised, the comprehensive three-part MOS methodology may be integrated
as a feature of the NGS Geotourism Program to measure success of existing and new
initiatives. This research is meant to serve as a resource for future MOS development
as the Geotourism Program continues to expand and develop.
Type
Master's projectPermalink
https://hdl.handle.net/10161/3713Citation
Leonard, Kristen (2011). Measuring Success of National Geographic Society's Geotourism Program. Master's project, Duke University. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/3713.Collections
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