Transcript Exploration of Place-Building and Civic Tourism in

Civic Tourism II Conference
Providence, Rhode Island
October 2008
An Exploration of Place-Building and
Civic Tourism in Northern Colorado
Diane Gaede, Ph.D. Recreation and Tourism
Richard R. Jurin, Ph.D. Environmental Studies
Drew Strickert, Graduate student, Environmental Studies
David Thomas, Ph.D., Management and Marketing
University of Northern Colorado
Greeley, CO 80639
Community leaders struggle with
integrating businesses into community
place building
Communities may lack vision in strategic tourism/business
planning and community development because of:
 Limited awareness of the value of planning for tourism
 Limited interest in cooperative strategic planning among
business owners
 Limited knowledge of place-building characteristics
 The nature of tourism promotion itself
Sense of Place (SOP)
 Place is defined as both environmental
(geophysical & location) and social (community
and culture)
 Place is organized around meanings individuals
and groups give to a setting and the quality of
that setting.
 Place takes on meaning through events that
occur as part of everyday life and experience
within a community.
Place Interaction
Organizations show patterns of intention toward
their community through the economic and built
environment, the natural environment, and the
social environment
There are two principles viewpoints, regarding
place, that organizations operate from:
Interdependence and Independence
Place Interaction
Independent organizations
 See themselves as occupants of place
 Focus on satisfying corporate goals
 View resources to satisfy corporate needs
 Primary responsibility is to shareholders, use place to
generate jobs and tax revenues
 Maintain community relationships to benefit shareholders
and corporate needs, not community needs
Place Interaction
Interdependent organizations
 Include themselves as members of the community
 Are responsible for all three realms of place (economic,
natural, and social)
 Actively seek a variety of opportunities to invest in and
contribute to the community
 Have a corporate mission that uses integrative strategies
to improve the place where they are located
Organizations as Place Builders
Place Building is a way of describing and evaluating how
organizations values place
Exploitive
-Contributions
are limited and
are required
by law
-Isolated
from the
community’s
business
group
-Values the
community
primarily for
its economic
and political
assets
Contingent
Contributive
Transformational
-Values the
community
primarily for its
geographic and
economic assets
-Cooperative
efforts to
improve the
community and
its influence
-Committed to
building and
sustaining
community
-Contributions
focused on
what they will
gain
-Values the
community
primarily as a
social network
-Generates new
learning and
advances mutual
goals
-Engaged in
ways that
satisfy a
certain
outcome
-Adopts
strategies
that help
them fit into
the
community
-Invests in
activities that
help build a more
ethical business
place
Exploitative Organizations
Are Independent on all aspects of place
 Emphasize achieving organizational goals and profits
irrespective of the impact on the community
 May intentionally harm, and avoid responsibility for
their actions
 Occupy place but are not engaged or invested in
place
Contingent Organizations
 Focused on the organization’s needs – independent in
community with some interdependency on environment
 Contribute in ways to get return or benefit to the
organization
 Respect local laws, regulations, and ethical codes without
pro-actively investing resources or assets
 May enhance or damage place depending on the scope
of laws and local ethical codes
 View the community and place for its geographic and
economic assets
Contributive Organizations
 View themselves as key members of place, yet in a
mixed independent/interdependent way on both
environment and community
 Engage in business practices that benefit a community
 Focus on “giving back” to place, but only to fit in as
advocates and participants
Vail Resort
 Largest on-mountain recycling program of any ski
resort in North America – 70%
 Snowmaking machines have 33% more output
capacity, use 25% less electricity, and 50% less water
 Transitioning to organic, hormone-free meat, for its 2.5
million lunches
Transformational Organizations
 View themselves as interdependent with place
 View place in an holistic manner by promoting ‘good’
business practices
 View their role as a ‘change agent’ investing personal and
organization resources that improve the community and
the organization
Research in Summer of 2008
 A pilot Qualitative study was initiated to assess the
environmental ethics of nature-based tourism
organizations
 Seven organizations were selected, and 6 of 7 were
locally owned and operated – companies that provided
nature-based guide services for monetary profits
 Guide services ranged from nature hikes at an RV park, to
fly fishing trips, to hot air balloon rides
 Interview questions fell into two broad categories: 1)
inquiry into the environmental ethics of the organization
and 2) how the organization conveys its ethics with clients
 Interviews were recorded, and lasted between 30 – 45
minutes
Results of Research
 How does your company practice environmental ethics?
 6 of 7 said “picking up trash” – conveyed to customers
as “leading by example”.
 5 of 7 had an in-house recycling program. 2 companies
went to nearby towns to recycle cardboard and paper
 In-house energy efficiency, mainly through the use of
energy efficient light bulbs, was also deemed important by
3 of the 7
 5 of the 7 were product vendors, and stressed the
importance of carrying products that met their standard of
environmental stewardship. 5 of 7 carried Patagonia (1%
program) – and one company used recycled products
 Cost was the biggest factor hindering progression of
environmental ethics
CONCLUSIONS
 The tourism industry, and heritage and eco tourism in
particular, are destination and image conscious.
 Trend toward sustainable integration of the tourism
industry within a community without destroying the unique
physical, cultural/social, and material environment
 Important for community leaders to understand where
business and non-profit organizations stand and which
partnerships and alliances benefit the community longterm.
Questions?
Comments?