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PROJECT PARTNERS

I’ve worked with Bobby on numerous projects related to public land stewardship over the years and I have always found him to be just what we needed - professional, friendly, and knowledgeable. Perhaps even more importantly, he gets it. He gets that tourism is vital to the economy and well-being of many communities and that those in tourism have a responsibility to be good stewards of the resources that make them special. That understanding is part of what makes him so effective. I look forward to the next time we get to work together.

- Clark Lovelace, CEO Explore Brevard

Recent Projects

Public lands and waters are a community asset and catalyst for sustainable economic development for the visitor and outdoor recreation industry.  During the pandemic, many outdoor communities saw a massive surge in outdoor recreation and visitation to public lands. This led many communities to adopt destination stewardship best practices.  TIS was there to assist.

  • Contracted by Visit North Carolina and developing state-level programming for responsible travel, destination stewardship, and accessible outdoor recreation.  This includes a series of learning modules, activation toolkit, and Trail Town Stewardship program.   

  • Contracted by Colorado Tourism Office and providing technical assistance to multiple alliances and communities throughout the state. Selected projects have included:  developing a destination stewardship engagement and communications program; drafting strategic MOU for a five-DMO stewardship alliance; leading all aspects of an outdoor industry needs assessment; analyzing economic impact and geolocation data to evaluate positive impacts of tourism; developing a responsible recreation social media campaign.

  • Contracted by Travel Oregon and providing destination development technical assistance to multiple communities throughout the state.  Projects have included:  facilitating a series of product development planning workshops; facilitating community-defined asset inventory to develop an outdoor recreation map; developing a stewardship communications plan for responsible recreation.  

  • Conducting Outdoor Recreation Stewardship Assessments to identify opportunities to support public land management and enhance visitor experience for the Hells Canyon Scenic Byway region and the Blue Ridge Parkway/Smokey Mountain region.  Both projects include first impression immersion tours, evaluation of outdoor recreation assets and experiences, competitive analysis of similar gateway communities, and development of stewardship action agenda.

  • Leading Sustainable Destination Assessments in Ogden, UTOceanside, CA, and San Diego County, CA.  The assessment uses Mountain IDEAL's internationally-recognized best practices to evaluate performance and provide strategies for advancing destination stewardship.  Each assessment includes:  exhaustive desktop research, stakeholder interviews, scoring evaluation of nine stewardship themes, and comprehensive report.  

  • Acting as Sr. Consultant on Sustainable Destination Management Plans in Jackson, WY and Ketchikan, AK For both projects, TIS conducted a Sustainable Destination Assessment, led workshops on Tourism Impact Monitoring, and provided tactical actions for implementing a Visitor Use Management strategy.   

  • Providing technical support in the development of the Building Outdoor Communities initiative led by WNC MADE x MTNS to activate outdoor economies in western North Carolina.

  • Acting as Program Administrator for the Mountain IDEAL Program.  Responsibilities include:

    • Advised Vail and Breckenridge, CO in maintaining third-party certification.  Currently advising Park City, UT through the process of preparing for certification.  

    • Led Aspen and Durango, CO through baseline assessment and successfully entered them into Top 100 Sustainability Stories Program where they each received top recognitions.

    • Developed and facilitate the annual, multi-session Mountain IDEAL Learning Series

  • Invited to multiple speaking engagements to share the presentation "Destination Stewardship:  Reimagining the Purpose of Tourism".

TIS is a tourism destination stewardship consultancy that provides assessment, planning, and implementation services to communities of all shapes and sizes.   Our team has worked on projects around the world including partnerships with some of the most iconic gateway communities in the United States. We have extensive experience in destination development, sustainability standards, visitor management, and communications and can support your community in any capacity - from tourism master plans to social media campaigns.  

CONTACT >

E: info@tourismimpact.services

L: linkedin.com/robertlchappell

W:  mountainideal.org

© 2022 by Tourism Impact Services

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