Destination Stewardship Research
In an era of rapid change and growing complexity in tourism, destinations and organizations need access to critical, unbiased research to make sound, forward-looking decisions. To support this need, our research initiatives are designed to generate practical, actionable insights that help tourism stakeholders navigate evolving challenges and opportunities. Our project team produces research that informs decision-making for destination managers, policymakers, and local businesses alike.
Looking for research-backed guidance tailored to your destination or organization? Let’s talk about how we can support your goals.
Destination Forward: Advancing Stewardship in U.S. Tourism Planning
The Destination Forward industry publication, produced by the George Washington University International Institute of Tourism Studies in partnership with the Coraggio Group, presents the findings of a first-of-its-kind study that assesses 35 destination stewardship plans for local U.S. destinations. The study explores how this new generation of plans is addressing complex challenges and advancing tourism that balances the interests of residents, businesses, visitors, and the environment. We highlight what defines effective stewardship and how it empowers communities to take shared responsibility for collective action.
International Arctic Cruise Tourism: Navigating Nature & Culture in Northern Communities
We are pleased to collaborate with GW’s IERES and Sustainable GW, alongside the University of Alaska Southeast and the University of Colorado, on an NSF-supported research project examining the converging challenges of cruise tourism in Arctic and Subarctic communities. Guided by local concerns, the project explores how cruise ship activity impacts nature, commerce, and culture, and supports the co-development of community-informed indicators to guide adaptive tourism policy. As part of this effort, we expect to publish new research in 2026 that examines evolving governance dynamics in contested cruise destinations, with a focus on legitimacy, trust, and inclusive decision-making in communities like Juneau, Alaska.
COVID-19 Pandemic Relief in the Caribbean
In collaboration with the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), the GW International Institute of Tourism Studies conducted a study on the early effects of COVID-19 on Caribbean destination management and marketing organizations. To learn what the Caribbean tourism industry's early responses to the pandemic actually were and what was working, our team inventoried tourism destination actions from March-May 2020 on mobility, economic relief, destination management and community support, crisis communication, and destination marketing. We sourced information from websites, databases, social media channels, and a survey of CTO's member countries. Our findings can be found in the Destination Organization Responses to COVID-19 Report, which was compiled to help organizations prepare for sustainable recovery and adapt lessons learned to potential future crises.