Sustainable Tourism Ambassadors International
A Global Sustainable Tourism Entrepreneurship Network for Local Businesses
Dear Sustainable Tourism Colleague,
Greetings from over here in Saint Lucia, the Paradise Island that I call home.
Whether you are in the Caribbean just like me or a little further around the globe isn’t it amazing how connected we have been over these last 6 weeks, thanks in no small measure to this wonderful and timely course on Sustainable Tourism the University of Hamburg has introduced us to.
An EXTRA SPECIAL Salute & Thank You is due to the wonderful tutors whose caring guidance we have had the pleasure of experiencing and I am confident that I have your permission to send this greeting on behalf of the entire class…
…
The Reason Why I Write To You Today
I believe that we all share Carol Henry’s sentiment so poignantly expressed in her title post of Monday June 3rd that simply read – “Going To Miss Everyone” 🙁 … sob added for dramatic effect!
But who said it really has to end???
So towards this end … sorry make that BEGINNING! … I have created Sustainable Tourism Ambassadors International (STAI) and I invite you to join as founding members by completing and submitting the form at the end of this letter
STAI Will Comprise the Following:
- STAI Website
- STAI FaceBook Private User Group (STAIFB)
- STAI Instagram Page (STAIIG)
- STAI Twitter (STAITWTR)
- STAI Blog (STAIBLG)
- STAI YouTube (STAIYT)
- STAI Podcast (STAIPD)
STAIFB will be a place where we interact with each other, pose questions, get answers, plan strategy, etc., etc.
STAIIG will be a place for uploading content we generate. This social media site is likely to grow very quickly and has the upside potential to become a place that visitors frequent to discover the best local Sustainable Tourism (ST) offerings in any destination they plan to visit
STAIYT will be another very powerful medium for sharing information and driving traffic to our global offerings
The Sustainable Tourism Ambassadors’ Pledge
Inspired by learning about the Palau Pledge I wish to invite us to create a Sustainable Tourism Ambassadors’ Pledge that will reside “above the fold” on the website. This will be our declaration to the world of our collective commitment to Sustainable Tourism Best Practices. And I’m sure you can already see what a powerful marketing tool this will be.
I invite you to think about what you would like this pledge to say as I would love for us to develop it as a collective.
Sustainable Tourism Ambassadors’ Guiding Principles
This I envision as a 10 point statement of what we stand for
The Failure of The Sustainable Tourism Movement To Date
So here’s an easy quiz for you – How does a plane fly on one wing???
Well the answer is – It Can’t!!!
And that to my mind has been the problem with the Sustainable Tourism Movement to date. You see, as a tourism entrepreneur, prior to taking this course I knew nothing about all of the sustainable tourism organizations out there that I’ve just learnt about. And I am sure most travellers are in the same boat too since all of these great organizations exist primarily in the academic or world agencies realm – one wing; while there has never been a Global Sustainable Tourism organisation in the entrepreneurial realm – the missing wing
Little wonder the darn thing has never taken flight! … and here in lies the power of STAI.
Now just imagine our local businesses all over the globe championing sustainable tourism best practices, making them the focal point of our operations and actively spreading the word on this. Suddenly the idea of sustainable tourism will take root as it enters mainstream vacation and vacation experiences conversations.
STAI’s First Global Event
As its first global initiative STAI will distribute a press release to media houses and news outlets every place in the world from which members hail. Additionally the release will be shared with other Sustainable Tourism organizations such as the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), inter alia in a clarion call announcing our presence. The release will speak to the genesis of the organisation, its membership count as well as how many countries are represented. It will share our goals and ideals as it invites the world to join us in sustainable tourism best practices.
Additionally a monthly calendar of events spanning STAI’s first year will be shared with a global audience and a highlight of this series will be podcasts featuring members’ journeys together with their thoughts and insights on being a sustainable tourism ambassador.
I am sure you can envision what a buzz all of this will create and its positive economic impact on participating small businesses.
My Personal Invitation To You
So please accept this invitation to join Sustainable Tourism Ambassadors International to be a part of this global influencer network that will help steer the narrative of Sustainable Tourism for greater economic benefit to our local businesses specifically and our communities or SIDS in general, while helping to preserve this Big Blue marble we all call home…
What If I don’t Have A Business
As a participant in this Sustainable Tourism course your perspective on this important matter aligns with the objectives of the businesses this group seeks to champion. As a consequence I can’t imagine you not being involved. So please sign up as you are an important member of the family with invaluable contributions to make!
How To Sign Up
Complete the form below and hitting the “Submit” button.
N.B.
The area marked State/Province is important for members in large countries as this will give website visitors a clear understanding of where exactly in your country your business can be found.
For members from SIDS where this section is not relevant for your simply enter N/A
This Is Not The STAI Website
Please note that this where you are is not the final STAI website. You see I wanted to get this message out to you right after our course was over. So rather than wait for my webmaster to build out the site I just placed this invitation on my St Lucia Photo Tour Website as I know how to do that myself.
Anyhow I have already discussed this project with my webmaster and he commences work on June 15th. And I can hardly wait to share the finished product with you
Got A Question?
If you have any questions at all simply send me an email at Kirk@KirkElliott.com or send WhatsApp to Tel: 758.518.5800
I can also be found on Instagram @KirkElliottPhotoWorld
We respect your privacy and hate spam with a passion. So we will never sell, rent nor trade any of your personal information
