Fall 2010 Newsletter Extended: Tourism Conferences
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TOURISM CONFERENCES PROMOTE SUSTAINABILITY
By Kevin Mould (RPTA '14) & Kim Saavedra (RPTA '13), Staff Writers
As many of us are aware, there are conferences aplenty when it comes to the recreation and leisure field. Recently, there were two conferences that had a particular impact on Cal Poly faculty and students: the Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism Conference hosted by The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) in Portland, OR; and The California Sustainable Tourism Summit hosted by the California Travel and Tourism Commission (CTTC) in Lake Tahoe, CA.
The first conference was the Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism Conference, which took place from September 8-10 in Portland, Oregon. The conference, put on by The International Ecotourism Society, had around 500 attendees, including Cal Poly’s own Dr. Jeff Jacobs and Dr. Bill Hendricks, along with 5 RPTA students. Among them was senior
Dani Correll who said of the conference, “The TIES conference in Portland was my first introduction to the sustainable tourism industry. I was surrounded by industry leaders from around the world. Their passion and knowledge of sustainable tourism inspired me to look towards the possibility of combining my interests in travel and sustainability.” For the full three days, attendees enjoyed presentations and speakers, an opening ceremony with sustainable wine and fashion show, as well as a sustainable tourism culinary showcase and various panel discussions. The prestigious speakers included: Bruce Poon Tip, the founder of Gap Adventures; Rick Ridgeway, the Vice President of Patagonia and many others.
According to Hendricks, “This conference provided opportunities for students to have access to internships worldwide,” not to mention the hundreds of representatives from world-renowned industry leaders such as the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy and Costa Rica’s La Cusigna Eco Lodge just to name a few. As one of only two universities to attend the conference, Cal Poly students received enormous attention from tourism professionals who flocked to America’s most sustainable city from around the world. Although this was the first year that Cal Poly students and professors were in attendance, it will surely not be the last, so keep an eye out for emails from Dr. Hendricks to learn about next year's conference in Hilton Head, SC! For more information on TIES, click here
The second conference, The California Sustainable Tourism Summit (CSTS), was put on by the California Travel and Tourism Commission (CTTC) and took place from October 14-15 at the Ritz Carlton in Lake Tahoe, CA. For the second annual summit, this year’s
theme focused on how to increase marketability for sustainable tourism companies or organizations. It consisted of presentations by key sustainable tourism leaders, followed by trips to experience local sustainability. Two-hundred professionals attended as well as ten students, seven of whom were from Cal Poly and RPTA. The Cal Poly RPTA department also had the honor of designing and presenting a Sustainable Tourism Marketing Handbook, a project undertaken by professors Bill Hendricks and Jerusha Greenwood in conjunction with graduate student Tyson Stockton and undergraduate student Dani Correll (RPTA '11). The handbook exists as a living document online, and will continue to be updated as new information arises. Anyone wishing to view the handbook can look at the Visit California website.
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