Responsible tourism topic of annual Lake Tahoe forum

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. - What is sustainable tourism and what does it mean for Lake Tahoe?

The future of Tahoe tourism needs to be sustainable. This year’s Annual Tourism Forum will address this global concern on a local level on Thursday, May 30 at the Lake Tahoe Resort Hotel from 8:00 a.m. to noon. Responsible tourism is something all businesses in the Lake Tahoe basin are working towards and this year’s forum will explore that theme. The forum will include a main keynote speaker, two general sessions, and breakout sessions designed to get a closer look at four key topics.

A business shift to more sustainable operations can increase revenues and enhance brand perception. The most recent Global Sustainability Report revealed that 66% of consumers were willing to pay more for sustainable brands. With these consumers spending $128.5 billion dollars with sustainable brands this year alone, business owners need to learn what they can do to join the movement and benefit from it.

According to the World Tourism Organization, sustainable tourism is "tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities."

They say sustainable tourism development guidelines and management practices are applicable to all forms of tourism in all types of destinations, including mass tourism and the various niche tourism segments. Sustainability principles refer to the environmental, economic, and socio-cultural aspects of tourism development, and a suitable balance must be established between these three dimensions to guarantee its long-term sustainability:

1) Make optimal use of environmental resources that constitute a key element in tourism development, maintaining essential ecological processes and helping to conserve natural heritage and biodiversity.

2) Respect the socio-cultural authenticity of host communities, conserve their built and living cultural heritage and traditional values, and contribute to inter-cultural understanding and tolerance.

3) Ensure viable, long-term economic operations, providing socio-economic benefits to all stakeholders that are fairly distributed, including stable employment and income-earning opportunities and social services to host communities, and contributing to poverty alleviation.

A business shift to more sustainable operations can increase revenues and enhance brand perception. The most recent Global Sustainability Report revealed that 66 percent of consumers were willing to pay more for sustainable brands. With these consumers spending $128.5 billion dollars with sustainable brands this year alone, business owners need to learn what they can do to join the movement and benefit from it.

The forum will open with a continental breakfast and general session where attendees will first hear from Keynote speaker, Jessica Blotter, CEO and Co-Founder of Kind Traveler. Kind Traveler is the first socially conscious ‘Give + Get’ hotel booking platform to empower travelers to become a force of good. Jessica will educate attendees on how Kind Traveler is working to bridge the gap between visitors and destination communities to encourage more purposeful travel.

Carl Ribaudo, President and Chief Strategist of the destination marketing and strategy company, SMG Consulting, will also address the crowd during the first general session and will discuss the costs of doing nothing and remaining stagnant in development.

Directly after the first session, guests will have the option to attend one of the four breakout workshops, where they will have the opportunity to engage with panelists and ask direct questions about these important key topics; Stewardship Through Marketing, Community Revitalization, Sustainable Recreation, and the Role of Restaurants.

Stewardship Through Marketing

Noble Studios, Duncan Channon, Weidinger PR, and the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority will facilitate this session in a panel format to examine the meaning of responsible tourism and the importance of focusing on the greater economic benefits for local businesses while enhancing the well-being of the host communities.

Community Revitalization

Carl Ribaudo will go further in to what it means to do nothing when it comes to development and how the choices we do or do not make can create long term impacts that can be costly to recover from.

Sustainable Recreation

Devin Middlebrook, Sustainability Program Coordinator of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, will lead the breakout with information on how businesses can better shape the future of Tahoe recreation. The session will explore outdoor recreation trends, transportation, the visitor experience, marketing, and funding.

The Role of Restaurants

Restaurants provide a unique opportunity to educate and engage with visitors about Tahoe's environment. Blue Angel Café owner, Jeff Cowen, Riva Grill owner, Scott Craig, and Tahoe Fund CEO, Amy Berry, will discuss how local restaurants are bringing sustainable practices to in to their businesses and how they are effectively teaching their guests how to become stewards of the destination.

The morning will conclude with a final general session featuring local keynote presenters. Hasaan Azam, Manager of Air Service & Cargo Business Development at Reno-Tahoe International Airport, will share information on their Air Service strategy and the recent growth of RNO over the last few years. Take Care Tahoe, a collective group made up of over 20 environmental organizations, will educate businesses on what efforts can be made on a local level to keep the tourism economy strong yet responsible.

Tickets for the Tourism Forum are $45 for chamber members and $60 for non-members, and include a continental breakfast. To purchase tickets, visit www.tahoechamber.org.

This event is presented by the Tahoe Chamber and supported by The Wilderness Education & Outdoor Leadership Program at Lake Tahoe Community College, Kind Traveler, Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority, Reno-Tahoe International Airport, South Tahoe Alliance of Resorts, South Lake Tahoe Lodging Association, Tahoe Douglas Visitors Authority, El Dorado County, and Sacramento International Airport.