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.
U.N. Tourism
Introduction
California is taking the lead in preserving its social, environmental and economic resources with a visionary approach and meaningful proactive steps.
Tourism organizations — particularly those that have been very successful — are re-thinking their missions to shift from destination marketing to destination management. The refocus results from a growing understanding of the need to balance a successful visitor economy with other factors, such as the quality of life for residents, impacts on the environment and increased demands on infrastructure.
Managing a destination is a far more complex undertaking than marketing one. It requires a different mindset, expanded skills, and effective partnerships with a variety of outside organizations.
Visit California’s Destination Stewardship & Sustainable Travel work plan reimagines the future of the state’s visitor economy through a triple-bottom-line perspective.
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SocialHow can California ensure that the state’s visitor economy offers cultural, recreational and quality-of-life benefits to all Californians?
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EnvironmentalHow can destination promoters ensure that travel to and within California occurs in ways that protect our environment, natural resources and assets?
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EconomicHow can tourism continue to be a thriving and enduring driver of California’s economy and that its positive impacts are felt statewide?
Guiding principles
As Visit California continues to use every marketing and public relations tool to promote California to potential visitors, it uses those same tools to inform residents about the benefits of the visitor economy, teach visitors about ways to travel responsibly, and steward the California experience for future generations. The stewardship partnership approach at Visit California focuses on objectives that inform strategies with measurable performance outcomes.
These five objectives focus on California residents, visitors and industry partners via marketing, research, communication, education, public affairs, coalition building and destination management.
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Expandsustainable practices across the California tourism industry
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Encourageresponsible tourism
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Developapproaches to shape visitation patterns
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Infusethe California brand with stewardship ethics
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Amplifythe sense of pride California residents have in their state