Accelerating Change: A Conversation with Destinations International CEO Don Welsh

The first annual PACE Forum was momentous in the evolution of community and stakeholder engagement. Tune into the Future of Tourism podcast to hear from two instrumental people about the conference.

The road to inclusivity is a long one. Hear what Ka Vang, Vice President of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at Meet Minneapolis, says about the role tourism plays and how to start.

On this episode of the Future of Tourism podcast, Ross Calladine from Visit England speaks about demystifying accessibility and developing initiatives to help destinations embrace accessible tourism.

Visitors are increasingly seeking immersive experiences that allow them to understand not just their own history, but the history of other people and places. On this episode of the Future of Tourism podcast, David Peacock is joined by Bennish Brown, CEO of Destination Augusta, and Joe Veneto, chief experience officer of Veneto Collaboratory, for a conversation about authentic destination development.

David Peacock interviews Janette Roush, executive vice president of marketing and digital for New York City Tourism + Conventions, and Paul McLeod, director of analytics at Simpleview, about the current landscape of generative artificial intelligence (AI). Roush has spent decades in industry-leading organizations and modern media agencies. McLeod is a maverick in the data and insights space and runs Simpleview’s internal think tank known as “Insights Group.” Together, they discuss why AI is on everyone’s radar, where the technology is going, and the positive — and negative — applications of it.

David Peacock interviews Milena Nikolova, chief behavior officer at BehaviorSMART, about how behavior optimization strategies can influence change-for-good in the tourism industry. Nikolova and her team of experts leverage their knowledge in tourism, sustainability, data analysis, and economic and behavioral sciences to provide innovative solutions to the travel sector’s most pressing issue — supporting global sustainable development. Their projects range from small-scale, small-enterprise sustainability improvements to nationwide initiatives aimed at regenerative tourism. Here’s the point — it works. Their strategies have proven effective in achieving meaningful change.

When we look for inspiration and ideas that will help us optimize the success and sustainability of our own destinations, we often look to Europe. More than a decade ago, their early work on overtourism highlighted the need for a more engaged network of destination stakeholders who prioritized ensuring that tourism was a restorative and not a depleting force. After the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, these insights further informed a lot of great work on how to build resilient local stakeholder and citizen networks to help harness the restorative power of tourism. One vehicle this happens through is CityDNA’s seven knowledge groups.  Simpleview’s David Peacock talks with Pablo Ortega Novillo and Adil Abbach. Novillo is the head of promotion for the tourism offices of Catalunya in Spain. He is co-chair of the CityDNA Tourist Information Centres Knowledge Group. Abbach is the managing director of hospitality and products with amsterdam&partners and a Tourist Information Centres Knowledge Group member.

David Peacock interviews Al Hutchinson from Visit Baltimore, and Steve Brunner from KOM Sports Marketing, about placemaking and the Maryland Cycling Classic.

This episode of Future of Tourism features Edmar Luiz Xavier Neto and Joel Marriott. Neto is the visionary creator of the Strong Farm & Rural Shores Destinations program, whose project aims to create new paths for sustainable development and empower families and businesses in rural communities. Marriott, an Indigenous entrepreneur from White Bear First Nations in Saskatchewan, Canada, is the founder of TOP Carbon Capture. Through sustainable options for various structures, TOP Carbon Capture is revolutionizing how we build— from single-family homes to large-scale projects in the US and Canada.

David Peacock is joined by Anthony Everett, CEO of 4VI, to discuss Vancouver Island’s bold experiment in sustainable tourism. Discover how 4VI has redefined itself as a social enterprise, with a mandate to serve 800,000 residents and ensure that tourism is a resilient force for good on the island.