The World Travel & Tourism Council has introduced seven principles to help destinations manage tourism growth and create shared prosperity for residents, businesses, and visitors. As international travel continues to grow, the council encourages proactive and holistic destination stewardship.
According to the report, tourism growth provides significant opportunities for destinations, businesses, and residents when managed proactively. With stronger planning, collaboration with residents, and evidence-based decision-making, destinations can build a tourism model that supports communities’ day-to-day wellbeing.
Destination Stewardship Principles
The council has published a policy brief, Destination Stewardship: Creating Value for All, which sets out seven principles to help destinations plan for sustainable growth. These principles include planning together, making resident satisfaction the measure of success, and turning tourism into shared prosperity.
The seven destination stewardship principles are:
1. Plan together, grow together
2. Make resident satisfaction the measure of success
5. More places, more seasons, more value
6. Turn tourism into shared prosperity
Case Studies and Examples
The policy brief includes practical examples from destinations around the world, such as Madrid, Colorado, and Bogotá. These examples demonstrate how collaborative governance, resident engagement, and forward planning can shape tourism policy and deliver benefits for local communities.
Dubrovnik, for instance, has implemented smarter management of cruise arrivals to ease pressure without limiting visitor numbers. New York City has developed regional tourism experiences to spread economic benefits more evenly, while the Balearic Islands have shown how transparent reinvestment of tourism revenues can strengthen public support.
Other destinations, such as Copenhagen, Japan, Ljubljana, and South Korea, have also implemented innovative initiatives to adapt destination stewardship to their specific tourism models and challenges.
Related: Guggenheim Abu Dhabi to Open December 11
Benefits of Destination Stewardship
Gloria Guevara, President & CEO of the council, stated that when destinations are managed well, Travel & Tourism creates jobs, strengthens communities, protects cultural and natural heritage, and delivers lasting prosperity. Destination stewardship succeeds when governments, local communities, and the private sector work together with a shared vision for long-term success.
The council believes that destination stewardship should sit at the heart of tourism policy and planning. By adopting these seven principles and learning from destinations already putting them into practice, governments, destinations, and the private sector can work together to ensure Travel & Tourism continues to drive economic growth while enhancing quality of life for residents.
As the travel and tourism sector continues to grow, with a significant portion of global GDP and a substantial number of jobs globally, it is essential for destinations to prioritize sustainable growth and shared prosperity. The council’s seven principles provide a practical framework for destinations to adapt to their own needs and ensure that tourism continues to deliver benefits for everyone.
In practice, this means that destinations must prioritize the needs of their residents, while also providing a high-quality experience for visitors. This can be achieved by implementing measures such as monitoring resident sentiment, mapping tourism pressure points, and promoting responsible visitor behavior, which is similar to the concept of a chief vacation officer who ensures a smooth and enjoyable experience.
By working together and adopting a proactive approach to destination stewardship, governments, destinations, and the private sector can ensure that the benefits of tourism are shared more widely and that the sector continues to drive economic growth while enhancing quality of life for residents.
Destinations are taking action.
