||| FROM BILL APPEL |||
I propose that tourism be better tailored to match our culture and ecology with a new generation of participating tourist facilities that are operated in a manner that attracts possibly fewer but thoughtful, ecologically oriented visitors in celebration and support of what our islands offer. Older such people tend to spend more, boosting our economy without harm.
- A “participating tourist facility” means one owned by a locally owned and controlled B corporation. A B corporation is allowed to consider local, environmental and employee needs ahead of profits, provided that costs are covered. A B corporation would acquire tourist facilities whose owners were willing to sell, and after investigation, the B corporation was willing to buy. This creates a market for existing tourist facilities, many of which are family owned and risk being sold to off-island interests. This is to “bring them home” and keep them home.
- Buyers of stock in a B corporation donate their shares (yes, there are such people) to the local island foundation, thereby making each major island’s foundation owner of a B corporation. This provides a double lock against reversion to practices inconsistent with our culture and ecology.
- No governmental action is involved.
This is a long-term project. While there are numerous technical issues, none is insurmountable.
A last word: judgment, anger and sadness are common reactions of people who, themselves not born here, are blissfully unaware that many came and remained here to avoid them. A little humility goes a long way.
Full disclosure: While I am a member of both the Visitors Bureau board and the Economic Development Council board, the above represents my personal suggestion made independently of both organizations.
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What a great idea, Bill! I hope this sparks some interest so that we could get this going.
Thoughtful, respectful, and environmentally sensitive people are ideal tourists… there are many that come here that already fit that mold. But, during normal times there are too many… and that number is rising rapidly. Changing direction and promoting environmental tourism instead of mass marketing is what SJC (via the Visitors Bureau) should have been doing all along. Environmental tourism is over 20 years old, and environmental tourism is what the visitors bureau told us they were going to promote… 20 years ago. As South Burns wrote in his tourism study, “Once a community identifies itself (as this or that), it will attract those people.” When we already have too many to begin with I’m not an advocate of promoting for more.
That all being said, a B corporation owned and operated by locals with stringent environmental, and social (employee/customer based) safeguards sounds good. Buying existing tourist businesses, and serving the already existing tourists without bringing in more would please 96% of the participants in the recent SJC tourism Survey who stated that they did not want any additional tourism, and they wanted SJC to stop over-promoting the islands. This would please me as well. Promoting for more tourists, however, would not.
I’m not proposing more tourism, just … tailoring it.
Friday Harbor is at the end of what is technically a state highway, and I think will continue to grow as population growth and/or migration proceed. We have no control over those factors. But we can to some extent affect behavior. Nothing beats example, for starters. We can’t expect visitors to behave and respect the environment if we don’t. We have work to do on a lot of fronts.
Environmental tourism is no easy matter. and involves far more than advertising; thus my column above. It takes years to develop and refine, but we have the resources and some amazing people. Now would be a good time to start.
Agreed… and a good idea Bill.
Wow, this site went about 2 weeks before a new round of anti-tourists, hater posts reappeared! Congratulations! We can all line up to post the same angry rants and keep the others away posts that have defined this issue for the last few years. Sad. I won’t be posting again; I already know I’m not wanted.
Sorry to read that, Neil.