2016 summit: plenary – national geographic geotourism project

delawareriver.natgeotourism.com

National Geographic is driven by a passionate belief in the power of science, exploration, and storytelling to change the world.

delawareriver.natgeotourism.com

Geotourism – “tourism that sustains or enhances the geographical character of a place – its environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage, and the well-being of its residents.”

Geotourism leverages the power of National Geographic and local partners to gather and disseminate rich information about the unique and authentic aspects of a destination.

Local Voices…..

……Inspire Global Audiences

Palau, Rock Islands, World Heritage Site

The product is the “place” Protect our place based authenticity

Sitka, Alaska

Great places

to live…..

…..are great places to visit…..

www.tennesseerivervalleygeotourism.org

Toledo, Spain by El Greco, who died in Toledo, Spain in 1614

Photo taken of Toledo, Spain in 2012

Plan for the long term

Maximize the Visitor Experience:

Telling the story of our places

www.fourcornersgeotourism.com

Telling our own story

Brasov, Romania

Micro, small and medium businesses

Douro Valley of Portugal www.discoverdourovalley.com

INDICATORS

a) Not the number of visitors; it is the quality of the visits b) Length of stay and money spent c) Distribution of income from tourism; money spent locally d) How tourism is sustaining sense of place

Identify, Develop, Market and Sustain Our Place Based Authenticity

Heart of the Continent – Ontario (CAN), Minn. (USA)

http://www.traveltheheart.com

U.S.A. Gulf Coast States

http://www.usgulfcoaststatesgeotourism.com

Bahamas

http://www.bahamasgeotourism.com

Four Corners – Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah

http://www.fourcornersgeotourism.com

Crown of the Continent – Montana (USA), Alberta,

British Columbia (Canada)

http://www.crownofthecontinent.net

Greater Yellowstone – Idaho, Montana, Wyoming

http://www.yellowstonegeotourism.org

Sierra Nevada – California, Nevada

http://www.sierranevadageotourism.org

The Central Cascades - Oregon, Washington

http://www.thecentralcascades.com

Colombia’s Caribbean

http://www.caribbeancolombia.com

East Tennessee River Valley - Tennessee

http://www.tennesseerivervalleygeotourism.org

Lakes to Locks Passage – New York

http://www.lakestolocks.org

Douro Valley of Portugal

http://www.discoverdourovalley.com

Newfoundland, Canada

http://www.nlgeotourism.com

Sierranevadageotourism.org

crownofthecontinent.natgeotourism.com

easternsrilanka.natgeotourism.com

Mississippiriver.natgeotourism.com

Who is a Geotourist? • A market of about 55.1 million Americans • Average age is 43-55 years / High level of education • Average household incomes high (45% earning more than $75K/annum) • Take 4 or more leisure trips each year (on average) • Seek authentic travel experiences • Care about the protection and preservation of the places they visit • Willing to spend more money and time to achieve these goals • International travelers tend towards a geotourism profile

Who are Geotravelers?

How do they behave?

Geotravelers "go local". They patronize local owned businesses and eat at restaurants serving regional cuisine. They buy from local crafts people and seek out traditional music and dance. As a result the money they spend helps local people earn a living and preserve their destinations authenticity.

Millennials; the first global generation Birth years ranging from the early 1980s to the mid or late 1990s

Over 75.4 million in the USA

Millennials from both China and USA exhibit social media and consumer behavior more like each other than they do from other generations in their

respective countries….wikipedia; Pew Research Center

Millennials are identified as "digital natives” ....Pew Research Center

Cultural experiences reign over “partying”

The “experience economy”, a term deemed by businesses to create memorable events for their customers, is consuming the travel industry with 72% of millennials choosing to spend more money on experiences than material items. 86% of millennials would rather experience a new culture when they travel 78% of millennials want to learn something new while they travel. 54% of millennials said they would pick a destination because they want to experience a particular culture ….. Topdeck Travel sourced from Huffington Post

Millennials are 23 percent more likely to travel abroad than their older counterparts. On track to spend $1.4 trillion on travel each year by 2020.

• Millennial travelers want technology - great WiFi, apps and accessibility via a lot of different technology channels. • Millennial travelers believe their peers. They’re less likely to listen to a straightforward advertisement for a hotel, but they will follow the comments and recommendations of their friends and colleagues via social media • Millennial travelers want to leave their hotel rooms. The increasing popularity of more social lobby areas, with lots of space to plug in and work as well as socialize, is testament to the fact that millennial travelers are less likely to sit hunched over their hotel room desk when traveling for business or pleasure. …….sourced from Huffington Post

delawareriver.natgeotourism.com

Supporters Contacts Nominations

Featured Contributors

My Trip Ideas About Local Voices

Trip Plans

Places to Go

Where to Stay

Things to Do

delawareriver.natgeotourism.com

Interactive Map Layers Search

Content

Content contributed by a local person

Authentic Provided by a local Rich Information Geo-Located

Connects Travelers Trip Planner Co-Branded Resources for Travelers

Authentic Provided by a local Rich Information Geo-Located Connects Travelers Trip Planner Co-Branded Resources for Travelers

delawareriver.natgeotourism.com

The best travel advice….comes from the people who live here

Link Badge for your website Post roll out

630 Users 628 Active Content Entries Site always “open” for new nomination content

The Geotourism Stewardship Council

Role and Responsibilities

• Organize the Council • Create the Website • Manage the Geotourism Program • Maintain and Sustain the Program

Save in “My Trip Plans”

“Trip Plans”: Inventory of vetted sample itineraries

Add to Trip Plans

Saved in My Trip Ideas

My Trip Ideas

Select contributions to create your itinerary

Name your trip

Describe your trip

Your route

Directions

Time and distance

• Mix and match; • Take notes • Add photos • Share on social media

Trip Plans

Trip Plan recommended by a local…. ………because the best travel information comes from the people who live there

About

Local Voices

Themes

Themes are stories told in the words of the people who live here

delawareriver.natgeotourism.com

Mobile Site

Contacts: John Beljean - NPCA Frank Biasi - Nat Geo

• High quality on line interactive website, responsive application

and embeddable micro sites to publish content on other sites

• Geotourism Stewardship

Council with a strategic business plan outlining the future of the program

• Public relations and initial outreach and marketing to roll out and promote the destination

• Established network of sites, attractions and businesses to inspire visitors to come and experience the place

Geotourism Program for the Scenic, Wild Delaware River

delawareriver.natgeotourism.com

delawareriver.natgeotourism.com