Marketing geotourism assets requires focusing on the best tourists through market selectivity and concentrating on geotourism segments. This can help ensure sustained demand and a sustainable place. Stewardship councils can coordinate geotourism strategies, promote sustainability, gather content, advise on threats and opportunities, and work with tourism offices to both promote and protect geotourism assets. Educating all stakeholders is essential to fostering collaboration and determining a focus region.

1. Marketing Geotourism Assets
To ensure sustained demand and a sustainable place,
plan not for “tourism,” but for the best tourists.
Geotourism Principle 3
• Market selectivity:
Concentrate on geotourism segments

2. The Geotourists

3. SEGMENT SIZE
Percent of 154
million who traveled
in past 3 years Urban Sophisticates
13%
Good Citizens
11%
Geo-Savvys
11%
Traditionalists
11%
Self-Indulgents
13%
Wishful Thinkers
14%
Outdoor Sportsmen
14%
Apathetics
13%

4. 18 $80
$76.1
$70.3 HH INCOME
16 $70
$67.9 $68.5
$63.8
$63.2 $60
14
$53.8 $53.2
$53.0
Trips in past 3 yrs
$50
12
$40
10 HH$000
$30
8 NUMBER
OF TRIPS $20
6
$10
4 $0
URBAN SELF-
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SOPHIS- INDUL-
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lf-

5. New Trends in Travel
• TIA-National Geographic Study in 2002
– 73% want clean, unpolluted environment
– 80% want outstanding scenery
– 61% believe their trip is better if it
preserves natural, historic, and cultural sites
– 62% (95M) key to learn about other cultures
– 54% want places off the beaten track, local
places
– 41% want an authentic travel experience
5

10. The July 2009 travelhorizons, the quarterly consumer
survey co-authored by the U.S. Travel Association and
Ypartnership states:
• U.S. travelers are more familiar with sustainable travel terminology
than they were two years ago but remain unwilling to pay more for
eco-friendly travel options
• Although consumers are reluctant to pay more to support green travel
service suppliers they are definitely paying attention to those who
are green, even in this down economy. Travel service suppliers
should therefore continue to adopt green practices that have a minimum
impact on consumers’ wallets.
• Awareness of the term “green travel” improved from 9 percent in July
2007 to 22 percent in July 2009.
• The majority (51 percent) of consumers will continue to patronize
“green” travel service suppliers regardless of an economic downturn.
• Greater than two-third (71 percent) say it is hard to find out about
environmental policies and initiatives of travel service suppliers.

11. Treehugger.com
by Discovery
Attracts ecologically-engaged, creative, urban professionals who
are willing to pay a premium for nicely designed goods and
services made with the environment in mind.
Our largest group of readers:
• Are in their 20s and 30s (47% are 21-30 years old; 31% are 31-40
years old)
• Are students, designers, technologists and journalists
• Are either men or women (50/50)
• Are comfortable financially (25% earn over 90K annually, over
60% earn over 45K)
• Are looking for green products and services (85% report that they
will spend “somewhat more” to “a great deal more” on green goods
and services)
• TreeHuggers are a young, influential, and affluent demographic
who make significant purchases online and turn to TreeHugger to
find products and services they can trust.

13. • Reader base is largely female, aged 25 - 54.
• Very well educated (88% with college or
university education)
• They have a high average household income
(37% earn $100k+).
• Internet savvy and considered the expert on
green issues and tips among their social circles.
• Research their purchases online, even if they
may eventually make that purchase offline.

14. Is this your target market?

15. a Strategy for Stewardship

17. Geotourism
Virtuous
Circle
Place-based
tourism Community
benefit
Motive to
protect

18. The Circle
Broken
Leakage; irresponsible
business practices
Place-based
tourism Community
benefit
Benefits
too
Obstacles selective,
to or not
Motive to apparent
protection protect

19. 12 Steps toward Destination Stewardship

21. Norway’s Queen Sonja at final signing of the
Norwegian Geotourism Charter at NGS

24. a historic inn, an unusual bird, a spectacular view, a
forest, a type of local beer, an adventurous hike, a
program for spending time with a local family, a place
where local musicians play traditional music, etc.

25. The Geotourism Principles
1. Integrity of place 8. Protection and enhancement
2. International codes of destination appeal
3. Market selectivity 9. Land use
4. Market diversity 10. Conservation of resources
5. Tourist enthusiasm 11. Planning
6. Community involvement 12. Interactive interpretation
7. Community benefit 13. Evaluation

26. Tourists— Residents—
How to get more out of my trip; How tourism can help us,
how to be a good visitor. enrich our lives.
Tourism
Tourism promoters—
businesses— stewardship How we can
How we can grow claim success.
and thrive.
Presevationist/conservationists— Politicians—
How tourism can protect (not How we can create
prosperity, boost our
destroy) our distinctive assets. govt’s popularity.
A constituency
of stewardship

27. West Virginia Sustainable Tourism Coalition
• Travel Green Appalachia
– Program coordination and facilitation
• West Virginia Community Development Hub
– Fiscal agent, identify target communities, promotion, staff and logistical support
• WVU Department of Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Resources
– Faculty and student research, applied course work, GIS database, resource
mapping, survey development and administration
• WVU Extension Director of Community, Economic Development, and Workforce Dev.
– Faculty expertise in research and teaching
– First Impressions Program
– Focus Group Planning
• West Virginia Division of Tourism
– Tourism development planning, marketing, industry communications
• George Washington University Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management
– Tourism strategy development, planning and implementation, faculty research
and technical assistance, graduate student internships
• Bridgemont Community and Technical College
– Workforce training
• Collaborative for 21st Century Appalachia
– Training module, cultural asset map template, cultural-heritage foods identification
• The Preservation Alliance of West Virginia
– Cultural heritage tourism advisory council
• Tamarack Foundation
– Local artist network
• Natural Capital Investment Fund
– Financial support for sustainable small businesses

28. From eco- to geo-
GEOTOURISM
Cultural
Sightseeing
tourism
Culinary
Nature-based
tourism
tourism
Heritage
tourism Agri-
Green tourism
All place-based tourism
types of tourism =
the ENTIRE destination

29. Greater Yellowstone
Geotourism Partners
With support from the:
•United States Forest Service
•Bureau of Land Management
•National Park Service

33. Stewardship Councils
• Coordinate geotourism strategy and Charter
programs
• Promote the virtuous circle
• Gather content for Geotourism sites
• Advise on threats to geotourism assets and
opportunities for enhancement
• Work with tourism office to promote and protect
those assets
• Evaluate progress

34. Stewardship Councils
Public/private representatives for. . .
• historic preservation
• nature & ecotourism
• farm/restaurant programs
• beautification
• traditional performing arts,
artisanry
• indigenous and minority groups
• urban renewal
• local government
• tourism and local business expertise
• tourism promotion
• other characteristics of the place

37. “Eco” on a
billboard?!!

39. “The internet is the #1
source of travel planning
information and
purchasing.”
Source: Randall Travel Marketing, 2008
Without rich information
about travel options,
tourists will rely on price
alone to make decisions.
Source: Forrester Research, 2008

40. Central Cascades

41. Online
Geotourism MapGuide
Site
nominations
Businesses and
the public can fill
out and upload
online site
nomination forms

42. GeoConsensus System Overview
Content Contributors
Destination’s
Portal Site Visitors
Geotourism
editor and Subscribers
Website
Geotourism qualified NatGeo
Stewarship Council
Education determines content model
14M/month

59. • You need a Leader
• Know your Facts and Don’t Fake It
• Foster Collaboration – Create a Constituency
• Determine Your Focus Region
• Regional Stewardship Councils
• Get a Formal Commitment
• Educate, Educate, Educate
• Promote – use technology and social media to
identify, promote, and share
• Assess – bring in outsiders for a different perspective
• Plan – Fill In The Gaps
• Funding – Be Creative
• Monitor and Evaluate

60. The geotourism equation:
Environment +
culture +
history +
aesthetics +
people =
sustainable
economic
benefit

61. Supporting Destinations who seek
Sustainable Solutions

62. www.scenic.org
• The National Trust for Historic Preservation
http://www.preservationnation.org
• The National Sustainable Lodging Network
http://sustainablelodging.org/

63. Thank You!
Doug Arbogast
Travel Green Appalachia
www.travelgreenappalachia.com
dougarbogast@gmail.com
304-373-3669
@TravlGrnAppalac
Facebook.com/travelgreen
Foursquare.com/travlgrnappalac
Youtube.com/travlgreenappalachia