Sustainability
Sedona Arizona
As one of the county’s most recognized natural destinations with its Red Rock vistas, Sedona’s expansive allure was at risk of degrading what made the destination special in the first place. Nichols Tourism Group and Arizona State University were engaged to develop a Sustainable Tourism Plan for the destination. Unlike more traditional tourism strategic plans, this initiative engaged a wide range of community organizations (including business sustainability certification entities to recycling centers), the visitor industry and Sedona citizenry (through survey efforts and public meetings) to craft a plan that not only considered the visitor experience and tourism’s role in the economy, but also its impact to the environment and impacts to residents' quality of life. Considering four Planning Pillars, the Plan outlined a broad range of targeted objectives and tactics to help move the community forward, along with metrics to help evaluate how progress on the plan is proceeding.
Colorado Tourism Roadmap
When the state of Colorado undertook a statewide tourism strategic plan initiative, it was clear that sustainability had to be a key touchstone that drove many of the strategic initiatives. While sustainability was integrated throughout the plan, one of the four "Pillars" of the Roadmap was focused on Stewardship.
Tactical initiatives ranged from developing approaches to identify "at risk' tourism resources, to connecting Colorado visitors to sustainability as a core element of their Colorado experience, helping them understand how they could integrate sustainable practices throughout their Colorado visit. Through the planning process, the theme of sustainability was enhanced not only with industry partners, but with visitors coming to experience the unique diversity of environments Colorado has to offer.
