Visit California: A Pioneer of Sustainability

1. My favorite DMO and destination with the best practice of sustainability and/or resilience

    Sustainability is becoming top of mind for the modern traveler. Travelers now pay attention to a destination’s commitment to sustainability and how their traveling can impact the environment. Visit California, the DMO for the state of California, is my favorite DMO for their sustainability efforts. California is committed to sustainability, and the state has an established branch of government dedicated to sustainability called “The Office of Sustainability.” This commitment has trickled down into the state tourism industry. Visit California has represented the state’s sustainable efforts in its tourism plan, represented on its website and digital marketing tools. California is a trendy destination for domestic travelers. “The mammoth influx of nearly 268 million domestic tourists to California in 2019 underscores not just the state’s magnetic appeal, but also its essential role within the American tourism industry” (Lindner, 2023). These domestic travelers visit the state for the famous attractions, natural landscape, and recreation activities. All of these reasons to visit are reliant on sustainable practices.
    California is also popular with international tourists. “Highlighting a hefty $14.4 billion international travel spending in California for 2019 casts a brilliant spotlight onto the Golden State’s thriving tourism economy”(Lindner, 2023). These international tourists often travel further distances to California, which makes visiting a less sustainable choice. However, the state’s commitment to sustainability makes the destination more attractive to counteract the carbon emissions or pollution from traveling.
    Visit California has local community support in its sustainability efforts. The destination is lucky in that the locals prioritize sustainability. Having all stakeholders consider sustainability makes the destination’s sustainability efforts go further. Especially in areas that are at risk of natural disaster, residents take care of the land for other locals and tourists alike. The partnership between locals and tourists comes from the DMO prioritizing its relationship with all stakeholders. In this circumstance, it leads to a more robust sustainability initiative.
    Visit California is a pioneer in sustainable tourism . “California is redefining what it means to travel sustainably by popularizing best practices that have helped hotels, restaurants, attractions, airports and rental car companies cut carbon emissions and reduce environmental impacts.” (Chang, 2024). The state’s sustainable efforts in tourism make it my favorite destination with the best practice of sustainability and resilience. 

Visit California

2. The best practice of sustainability and/or resilience

    Creating promotional and educational tools is the best practice for controlling the destination's narrative while maintaining a reputation as a proactive partner within the industry. By taking the time and energy to create these materials, Visit California solidified the image of the state’s sustainability in the travel industry while also bringing awareness to travelers on why Visiting California is a sustainable choice they should be proud of. These tools and education are the baseline for the state’s sustainable image. This establishes a tourist’s brand image for the destination. Visit California has done a great job of effectively establishing the image of the destination as a sustainable choice, which is important for a DMO as “In order to generate effective managerial and marketing implications regarding a destination’s positioning and promotion, its image must be accurately assessed.” (Wang-Pizam, 2011).
    Having a consistent integrated communications plan focused on sustainability is crucial and best practice for destinations looking to highlight their commitment to environmental consciousness. The critical communication channels are public relations and digital/internet marketing. Visit California does this with a blog, press mentions, and social media.
    As consumers have become more and more sustainably aware, destinations must adapt to attract those consumers. “In strategic management, it is generally accepted that organizations must adapt to their environments in order to survive and prosper.” (Wang-Pizam, 2011). Visit California has done an excellent job of leaning into consumer’s interest in sustainability by making details about how environmentally-conscious the destination is public facing. They made sustainability part of the destination’s branding.

3. Why this is the best practice

    Creating promotional and educational tools is the best practice for controlling the destination's narrative while maintaining a reputation as a proactive partner within the industry. By taking the time and energy to create these materials, Visit California solidified the image of the state’s sustainability in the travel industry while also bringing awareness to travelers on why Visiting California is a sustainable choice they should be proud of. These tools and education are the baseline for the state’s sustainable image. This establishes a tourist’s brand image for the destination. Visit California has done a great job of effectively establishing the image of the destination as a sustainable choice, which is important for a DMO as “In order to generate effective managerial and marketing implications regarding a destination’s positioning and promotion, its image must be accurately assessed.” (Wang-Pizam, 2011).
    Having a consistent integrated communications plan focused on sustainability is crucial and best practice for destinations looking to highlight their commitment to environmental consciousness. The critical communication channels are public relations and digital/internet marketing. Visit California does this with a blog, press mentions, and social media.
    As consumers have become more and more sustainably aware, destinations must adapt to attract those consumers. “In strategic management, it is generally accepted that organizations must adapt to their environments in order to survive and prosper.” (Wang-Pizam, 2011). Visit California has done an excellent job of leaning into consumer’s interest in sustainability by making details about how environmentally-conscious the destination is public facing. They made sustainability part of the destination’s branding. 

4. Benefits and consequences for consumers

    California’s commitment to sustainability benefits consumers who visit the state. The state's beauty is unmatched—from the Pacific Ocean to the mountains to the desert. Finding another place as biologically diverse as the state would be difficult. California is home to a diverse landscape that would cease to exist unless long-term sustainability efforts are put in place. Climate change threatens California’s natural beauty, so making strides for sustainability is incredibly important for the longevity of the destination.
    Travelers also choose to visit California for the plentiful outdoor activities. California is popular for surfing, hiking, skiing, and more. According to Gitnux, “27% of all domestic trips made to California in 2019 were for outdoor recreation” (Lindner, 2023). The state's sustainable choices ensure that travelers can enjoy these activities for years to come.
    A focus on sustainability doesn’t need to be difficult for the consumer. The DMO can make it easy for travelers to make small, sustainable choices with their integrated communications plan. For example, a social media post reminding travelers to pick up trash on the beach when visiting. This kind of digital/internet marketing is easy for the DMO and makes the consumer feel good about visiting a destination that highlights sustainability.

5. Benefits and consequences for the destination, tourism industry and the local residents

    Taking steps towards sustainability benefits the destination, tourism industry, and local residents. The destination benefits from a beautiful and well-maintained natural landscape. Something like a surplus of trash on the side of the road is negative for all stakeholders. Though the state government is responsible for legislature ensuring sustainability in the state, the DMO is responsible for the tourism industry and traveler behavior in the destination. Visit California’s plan to provide travel partners in the local tourism industry with educational materials on the DMOs actions for sustainability acts on that responsibility.
    Local residents benefit from sustainability in the destination. In the past, “there was a tendency to neglect the people in the destination and especially local community residents.” (Morrison, 2018). DMOs now actively include residents as stakeholders in the destination, and this is especially true in reference to sustainability. California is home to many popular tourist destinations that also have a large resident population, like San Francisco and Los Angeles. When travelers visit a destination and act unsustainably, it hurts the destinations that locals call home. The DMO taking responsibility for the tourism industry’s role in sustainability in the destination aligns
    California, like many places globally, has been affected by climate change. Visit California must practice resilience to keep the destination attractive. Unprecedented natural disasters in different areas of the state have been highly publicized. It’s up to the DMO to educate the tourism industry on the state's resilience and plan to recover from any unforeseen disaster. 

Visit California

6. How can this best practice be encouraged for other DMOs

    Having education and promotional tools available for travel industry partners benefits all DMOs. These tools can highlight a destination's sustainable choices, like creating less waste, prioritizing public transportation, and encouraging less electricity use. Educating the public on why a destination makes sustainable choices is both responsible and beneficial in targeting a consumer. Travel industry partners like local hotels, attractions, and restaurants, can utilize these materials and pass the information on to the consumer. These tools are available digitally, which is a best practice since digital tools are the future of tourism.
    Other domestic and international destinations may not have a government that prioritizes sustainability. This would put the destination’s brand image in the tourism industry at risk. Proactive DMOs can learn from California’s sustainability efforts for consumers and partners in the travel industry to mend that brand image. Visit California can exist as a blueprint of “what to do” for destinations that aren’t sure where to start.

7. The organization that should be in charge of encouraging more sustainable and/or resilient practices by DMOs

    The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), recently rebranded as UN Tourism, should be in charge of encouraging more sustainable and resilient practices. UN Tourism currently works within the United Nations to better international tourism. “UN Tourism develops initiatives to help destinations grow their tourism sectors in sustainable manner and host global events. It’s also the public go-to source on global tourism data.” (Habtemariam, 2024). An organization as a governing body that maintains sustainability for DMOs worldwide would benefit the international tourism industry. DMOs may be overwhelmed by the recent increase in interest in sustainability. It may seem like an undertaking to develop a plan from scratch to showcase sustainability in a destination, so having an organization in charge would simplify that process. It would also ensure that there is a baseline in sustainability messaging for all international destinations.
    As the world gets more and more sustainably aware, the more important the topic will be to consumers. DMOs need to be prepared now, and UN Tourism would play a role in encouraging destinations to think about sustainability in their destination now. Every destination attracts visitors for unique reasons. Some destinations are busy cities with very little green space, and some are known for man-made attractions. These destinations that are not known for their natural beauty may have a harder time adding sustainability to their brand image. The UN Tourism could have a plan in place for destinations in need of guidance on navigating where sustainability falls into their brand image.

Visit California

8. If I were in charge of this organization, strategies, tactics and actions that I would use to encourage more sustainability and/or resilience

    I would initially invite all marketing leaders from international destinations to attend a virtual conference to introduce sustainability tactics. Meeting all together ensures unity and allows the international tourism industry to come together. With the information collected at this virtual event, I would create a private website with information, toolkits, and detailed tactics for DMOs to utilize in their sustainability efforts. For destinations that are newer to highlighting sustainability, I would offer one on one consulting. This would enable UN Tourism to provide a personalized plan for DMOs that don’t have a pre-established sustainability plan.
    As the role of UN Tourism as an authority for sustainability in destinations grows, the process of working with DMOs can be streamlined. Over time, I would implement a committee of CMOs from DMOs around the world. This committee would have regular meetings to discuss how UN Tourism can support destinations and their sustainability efforts. Having this committee of hospitality marketing leaders come together would be valuable for UN Tourism as an organization because it will ensure that the destinations are being served.

9. My role in supporting and improving sustainability and/or resilience of tourism destinations as a consumer and/or industry practitioner

    My role is supporting and improving sustainability and resilience of tourism destinations as a consumer is as a mindful traveler. Whenever I am traveling to a destination, especially if it is somewhere I’ve never traveled before, I research the destination’s DMO. The DMO is an excellent resource for sustainability best practices in a destination. The DMO’s website and digital marketing tools are full of resources on how to be a conscious traveler while visiting. While visiting any destination, it’s important to leave the location cleaner than you found it. That means throwing away, recycling, or composting trash in the proper receptacles. It also means to ensure the condition of the location you’re visiting is maintained by staying on walking paths and following signs and other guidance. Making travel more sustainable starts with the traveler, so I am proud to take those steps in my personal travels.

Visit California

References

Chestnut, M. (2022). Making sustainability a priority in events | northstar meetings group. https://www.northstarmeetingsgroup.com/Planning-Tips-and-Trends/Sustainability/planning-sustainable-meetings-and-events 

Habtemariam, D. (2024, January 24). United Nations rebrands its Tourism Agency. Skift. https://skift.com/2024/01/24/united-nations-rebrands-its-tourism-agency/ 

Lindner, J. (2023). California Tourism Statistics: Market Report & Data • Gitnux. GITNUX. https://gitnux.org/california-tourism-statistics/#:~:text=Tourism%20Statistics%20Unveiled-,In%202019%2C%20California%20received%20approximately%20267.7%20million%20domestic%20visitors.,within%20the%20American%20tourism%20industry. 

Morrison, A.M (2018). Marketing and Managing Tourism Destinations - Second Edition. Abingdon: Routledge. ISBN 9781351714808.

Official Travel & Tourism Website. Visit California. (n.d.). https://www.visitcalifornia.com/ 

Sustainable Tourism and Destination Stewardship. Destination Stewardship | Visit California. (n.d.). https://industry.visitcalifornia.com/partner-opportunities/programs/sustainable-tourism-and-destination-stewardship 

Wang, Y. and Pizam A. (Eds.) (2011). Destination Marketing and Management-Theories and Applications. CAB International. ISBN 978-1-84593-762-1.