Center for Responsible Travel Newslett… · educational conference on sustainable tourism in 2017. This conference is timed to coincide with the United Nations’ declaration of

Center for Responsible Travel

Transforming the Way the World Travels

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CREST Newsletter: Issue 12, July - September 2016

CREST Academic Affiliates Launched

On World Tourism Day, September 27, the Center for Responsible Travel (CREST) announced its inaugural class of Academic Affiliates. These 20 Academic Affiliates are leading professors* with an interest in responsible travel who are from a range of universities, both in the U.S. and around the world. This model permits CREST flexibility to engage with institutions and faculty across a range of disciplines and geographical regions, in areas such as:

Collaboration in applying for grants and conducting studies;

Co-publishing of peer reviewed journal articles, reports, books and book chapters;

Conferences and workshops – co-sponsorship, hosting, providing speakers;

Collaboration in academic degrees, certificates, courses, and seminars;

Retreats, study tours, and seminars on specific areas of research;

Priority for internships for graduate students and exceptional undergrads

CREST Academic Affiliates include:

Nicole Ardoin, Stanford University

Helene Balslev, Aalborg University (Denmark)

Robyn Bushell, Western Sydney University (Australia)

Todd Comen, Johnson State College (Vermont)

Scott Curtis, East Carolina University (North Carolina)

Jonathon Day, Purdue University (Indiana)

Rodolfo Dirzo, Stanford University

Kreg Ettenger, University of Maine

Don Hawkins, The George Washington University

Linnea Iantria, Missouri State University

Kristin Lamoureux, New York University

Kennedy Obombo Magio, Technological Institute of Cancún (Mexico)

Robert Manning, University of Vermont

Makarand Mody, Boston University

John Nauright, University of North Texas

Joe Pavelka, Mount Royal University (Canada)

Michelle Rutty, Michigan State University

Daniel Scott, University of Waterloo (Canada)

Gray Shealy, Georgetown University

Chiaki Shimoyasuba, Hokkaido University (Japan)

From 2003 through 2014, CREST functioned as a bicoastal institute, with offices and co-directors at Stanford University and in Washington, DC. Following the retirement of the Co-Director at Stanford, Dr. William (Bill) H. Durham, CREST’s staff and Board of Directors decided to set up a program to diversify and internationalize our academic partnerships through creating alliances with a range of professors at various academic institutions.

More details on the Academic Affiliates are available on the CREST website. To be considered as a CREST Academic Affiliate, please contact CREST Executive Director, Martha Honey.

*These affiliations are with individual professors listed and do not imply organizational affiliation with corresponding universities.

In addition, in September, CREST’s peer reviewed academic article analyzing the economic value of bear hunting vs. bear viewing in the Great Bear Rainforest appeared in the online version of the Journal of Ecotourism. Download the full report here.

CREST Project in Sinaloa, Mexico Completes GSTC Destination Assessment

In late September, CREST together with the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) completed a destination-wide assessment of five municipalities in the southern part of the Sinaloa state, Mexico. Southern Sinaloa now becomes part of an elite group of 20 destinations around the world that have completed a sustainability assessment based on GSTC criteria.

CREST Executive Director Martha Honey, CREST consultant and certification expert Amos Bien, and GSTC's Destinations Program Director Kathleen Pessalano traveled to Sinaloa to present the findings of their GSTC destination assessment. At a September 19 public forum in Mazatlan, CREST and GSTC, together with officials from the state’s business council, Codesin, outlined the project and described the results of the GSTC assessment to some 100 officials, including mayors, academics, and representatives of the tourism, agriculture, aquaculture and livestock industries of the five municipalities. The next day in Culiacan, the state capital, CREST and GSTC gave a more concise presentation to Codesin’s Board of Directors which helped to finance the project. Of the 104 GSTC destination indicators for sustainability, Southern Sinaloa fulfilled 41% of them with a ‘good’ or ‘acceptable’ ranking, while compliance with 59% was found to be partial or unacceptable. This assessment is not a certification but it provides a roadmap for destinations wishing to become certified under one of the GSTC recognized programs for destinations.

For the past six years, CREST has been involved in this project which designed to create a sustainable and competitive tourism corridor in Southern Sinaloa. The project is run by Codesin and Conselva, the leading environmental organization, with CREST providing international expertise and assistance. CREST staff and

consultants work most closely with the project’s local tourism professional, Valerie Sera, who is based in Mazatlan. Next steps in the project include creating an Action Plan, establishing a Destination Management Organization for Southern Sinaloa, and developing a Strategic Plan for tourism development in the region.

CREST's Continued Work with Indigenous Communities in Chihuahua,

Mexico

In September, CREST consultant Ximena Alvis and our local Mexican partner, CONTEC, spent eight days in Chihuahua holding workshops with women in two Rarámuri communities to develop a "community kitchen" experience for tourists visiting the Divisadero (Copper Canyon) area. The trainings where conducted with a well-known Chihuahua Chef, Ana Rosa Beltrán, who has been involved with the preservation of traditional ingredients in the Rarámuri cuisine. This activity is part of CREST’s two-year project with the communities of Bacajipare and Huitosachi which is being funded by the Christensen Foundation and the state’s Tourism Department. In addition to CONTEC, a local NGO which works with indigenous communities, CREST is also partnered with Mano del Mono, a Chiapas based NGO which specializes in community-based ecotourism.

Alvis, who leads the project for CREST, worked to prepare the team of cooks for the next training with another chef and for the construction of the kitchen and handicrafts center in the community of Huitosachi. Alvis also conducted further research, collected pictures, and recorded people from the community talking about their culture and traditions. These materials will be used to create a new a web portal to market the community kitchen and other indigenous tourism experiences. In December 2016, CREST and Mano del Mono will launch a pilot tour with actual tourists participating in the three community experiences: the kitchen, a guided hiking trail, and handicrafts. CREST expects to continue this project for another two years.

CREST Begins Field Projects in Cuba

CREST’s sustainable tourism work in Cuba has developed steadily in 2016, with support from the Ford and

Reynolds foundations. As one piece of its work, CREST is undertaking a study of ‘lessons learned’ about

the environmental, social, and economic impacts of cruise tourism elsewhere in the Caribbean and in key

Mediterranean ports of call. This study, conducted by a small team of US and Cuban researchers, is

intended to provide background data and analysis to assist Cuba as it moves to build cruise tourism as a

component of its growing tourism industry. Cuba officially opened its ports to cruise tourism last May

when Carnival Cruises’ “Adonia” became the first U.S. passenger ship to visit Cuba in a half century.

CREST is also undertaking preliminary steps with key academic institutions to help organize an

educational conference on sustainable tourism in 2017. This conference is timed to coincide with the

United Nations’ declaration of 2017 as the Year of Sustainable Tourism.

CREST has been invited to become a supporting institution of the recently established Research Initiative

for the Sustainable Development of Cuba (RISDoC). RISDoC is an umbrella group led by four Cuban

institutions: Fundación Antonio Nunez Jimenez; Centro de Estudios sobre la Economia Cubana,

Universidad de Habana; Catedra del Caribe, Universidad de Habana; and UNDP/PNUD. It includes as well

four Supporting International Associates: CREST; Environmental Defense Fund; Erb Insititute, University

of Michigan; and ECODES Foundation, Zaragoza, Spain. This coalition, which will be officially launched in

Havana in late November, is working to promote sustainable practices in Cuba across a number of

sectors, including energy, agriculture, cooperatives, and tourism. In addition, CREST has agreed to join

another new initiative, RESPECT (Responsible & Ethical Cuba Travel), a U.S. professional association of

“nonprofit entities, travel agents, tour operators and other travel service providers dedicated to

practicing and promoting ethical and socially responsible travel to Cuba.”

CREST's Upcoming Projects in Tigrai, Ethiopia

CREST has recently won tenders for two new projects involving the famed Rock Hewn Churches in Tigrai province, Ethiopia. The first project involves assisting the Tigrai Culture and Tourism Bureau to prepare the nomination documents to have these Ethiopian Orthodox churches and the cultural landscape of Gheralta region in Tigrai declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. CREST has two experts lined up to undertake this work, beginning in November. The second project is to produce a film about the churches and other cultural attractions in the area. The film will be submitted as part of the UNESCO application and will also be used to promote international tourism. CREST has contracted with a two-person film crew to make the documentary. They plan to shoot some of the footage using a camera mounted on drones in order to capture the churches in more remote and inaccessible places. CREST was invited to bid on these two projects after its successful completion of preparation of an English language tourist map of the most important churches.

2017 Charter Club Trips Announced, Deadline Nearing for Cuba Sign Up

Want to add an incredible trip to your agenda in 2017? As part of our work, CREST partners with top-

notch tour operators to organize environmentally and socially responsible travel packages, via our

Charter Club. With these guided trips, we offer high value, reasonably priced vacation experiences that

are significantly superior to conventional and mass tourism vacation packages. CREST’s Charter Club trips

are designed for small groups of individuals who have a passion for travel and are interested in positive

environmental, social, and economic benefits of tourism for local communities.

In 2017, the following opportunities are available: Cuba

(January 27 – February 3)*, Iran (May), and Crete (July).

Registration to join CREST in Cuba is due by October

10.* For more details, visit the CREST website or contact

Samantha Hogenson at

[email protected].

Caribbean 'Green' Travel Teachers'

Guide Released

In August, CREST released a free Teacher's Guide to go along with our newest film, Caribbean 'Green' Travel: Your Choices Make a Difference (April 2016). The film was created as part of an educational campaign on sustainable tourism in the Caribbean, along with four volumes on climate change and coastal and marine tourism to be released by CREST in late 2016.

Caribbean 'Green' Travel shows that the Caribbean is more than typical mass market resort and cruise tourism. Through the power of the good example, this 45-minute film includes portraits of tourism businesses in Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Aruba, and Grenada that are practicing environmental stewardship and generating social and economic benefits for the destinations.

The free Teacher's Guide, which can be downloaded from the CREST website, is designed for teachers at any level who wish to use the film in their classes. It is intended to help teachers and students explore and think critically about key concepts introduced by the film, including sustainable management and development, community integration, ecotourism, voluntourism, certification, among other topics. The guide follows the film scene-by-scene, with brief synopses followed by discussion questions and ideas for in-class or take-home activities. The guide also includes suggestions for supplemental readings, websites for further exploration, and a test bank with questions that can be used for quizzes or exams.

The Teacher's Guide was prepared by University of Maine professor Dr. Kreg Ettenger and CREST Managing Director Samantha Hogenson, with assistance from CREST research assistant Ashley Newson. Caribbean 'Green' Travel can be downloaded from the CREST website in English or Spanish for $8.98, or a DVD can be ordered from [email protected] for $15 + shipping and handling.

CREST's Elite Platinum Sponsor's Group Expands

Tourism can be a tremendous force for good in the world, environmentally, socially, and economically. CREST has invited stand-out tourism businesses that embody the principles and good practices of responsible travel to join our elite Platinum Sponsors category. By doing so these companies pledge to support CREST through providing for five consecutive years high quality, unique holiday packages for our annual auctions. To date, inductees include Soneva Resorts, Residences & Spas, Micato Safaris, Island Outpost, Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort, and most recently – Basecamp Explorer and El Ganzo. Much can be appreciated about and also learned from each.

Platinum Sponsor Spotlight: Soneva Resorts, Residences & Spas

In August we sat down with Soneva CEO Sonu Shivdasani to discuss his vision for his highly acclaimed company. With properties in Thailand and the Maldives and a case full of international awards that grows

each year, Soneva is proof that sustainability, care for the community, and good business can go hand in hand. One of the mantras we repeat over and over at CREST is tell your sustainability story! Yet so many still shy away from involving guests in their journey. We hope you are as inspired by this following short interview with Sonu and will choose to travel to places that are walking the sustainability walk or will begin crafting your own story as a tourism business.

CREST: Soneva is internationally renowned for quality and “an inspiring ethos of sustainability and

service that is uncannily intuitive.” Why was incorporating sustainability into the business model

important to you when Soneva was created?

Sonu: I first visited the Maldives with my wife Eva on holiday in the 1980s and we fell in love with the un-

spoilt beauty of the country. We decided that we would like to open a resort like no other; one that was

both elegant yet sustainable.

At Soneva, our mission is to uphold the principals of SLOW LIFE: Sustainable-Local-Organic-Wellness-

Learning-Inspiring-Fun-Experiences. Through this purpose and our guiding principle of “Inspiring a

Lifetime of Rare Experiences," we create experiences where luxury, sustainability and wellness

complement each other. They are triplets thriving from each other. We also believe that a company must

have a purpose beyond simply enriching shareholders and paying employees a salary. Ours is SLOW LIFE.

We question and challenge what luxury is for the wealthy today. In the past, the wealthy were rural

landed gentry and the language of luxury was that which was rare for them: dressing up, four piece

bands, gold, crystal chandeliers… because that offered them a change from their daily life which was

about nature and space. Today it is the other way around: the wealthy live in their air conditioned urban

boxes, get around in their German car boxes, eat in designer restaurants with signature imported foods

cooked by celebrity chefs, etc. Those things are no longer rare. They have become common place for the

wealthy, global citizen. Our theory is that a new luxury is emerging based on what is now missing in

everyday life: nature, sustainability, and good health. This is why our resorts win so many awards and

have been so successful, as we try to inspire a lifetime of rare experiences.

It’s estimated that the hospitality industry benefits the richest 20-30% of the planet, at the expense of the

poorest 70-80%. We as an industry consume more than our fair share of resources. However, resorts and

hotels are often central to a community, so we have the ability to raise awareness and change

consciousness. We are in a position to encourage, utilise, and even mobilise our wealthy and collectively

powerful patrons.

Hoteliers must continue to work together to find ways to cause less “harm” and do more “good.”

Companies must become "solutions" rather than "problems." I believe that in all our businesses we can

make small changes to our business model, which has no negative impacts on our profitability or our

guests’ perception of our products.

CREST: Tell us about the SLOW LIFE philosophy and how it contributes to both sustainability and the

overall guest experience. What kind of feedback do you receive from your guests about their SLOW

LIFE experiences?

Sonu: In essence, we offer a slower, more

appreciative lifestyle. City people today live in

boxes: our apartments are boxes, our cars are

boxes and our offices are boxes. It’s nearly

impossible to breathe healthy air! Spending a

short time at Soneva Fushi, people forget

about life’s supposed necessities: checking the

smartphone, wearing elaborate outfits…Our

customers change a little while they’re with

us. No one complains about the lack of air

conditioning—in fact they love taking a

shower or watching a movie under a starlit

sky. This may sound like a naïve message coming from a tiny island in the middle of the Indian Ocean,

accessible only to a handful of privileged travellers, but we see it as an awareness-building experience.

We want people to recognize the necessity of repairing the damage that we, the rich, have caused. The

energy we consume, the water that we take for granted… The hotel industry can put that idea across. We

get our customers involved so that they can spread the good word.

Our SLOW LIFE focus has led to levels of guest loyalty and repeat business that far surpass industry norms,

and this tells me unequivocally that the values of a company matter to those who consume its products.

For instance, we have a repeater rate of more than 50% at Soneva Fushi, which is remarkably high for a

long haul destination like the Maldives.

CREST: The Soneva Foundation supports the development of innovative and imaginative projects

whose impacts directly address social and environmental challenges around the world. What specific

examples stand out to you that have made the biggest impact?

Sonu: The Myanmar Stoves Campaign stands out. We have distributed over 12,000 stoves benefiting

around 55,000 people in over 400 villages. At the same time, we have trained over 300 vendors of which

now around 100 still are working and earning more than an average local salary. The social value of the

project over 2.5 years is estimated to be US$9.3 million, which illustrated the huge social impact the

project has in addition to having reduced around 120,000 tonnes of CO2.

CREST: Soneva Fushi recently went through a food waste audit with LightBlue Environmental

Consulting, resulting in almost a 50 percent reduction of organic waste being sent to your composting

site. What triggered your interest in reducing food waste, and why do you believe it’s important for

other tourism companies to consider their own reductions?

Sonu: We had sort of become a victim of our own success in composting all our food waste, as we realized

we possibly were not as effective at eliminating food waste in the first place as we should. Although we

handled all our food waste soundly by composting and creating further value in the vegetable garden as

well as selling compost, there were more savings to be achieved in reducing the food waste in the first

place. Through getting a detailed overview where the food waste was generated, we were able to

improve on this and reduce food waste considerably. Although this also means that we generate less

valuable compost, however it also makes it easier for the garden team to handle the food waste.

It is always worthwhile to consider potentials reduction as there are several benefits in operating more

efficiently, not least economically.

CREST: Do you find that operating your experiences in an environmentally and socially responsible way

is good for business? What message do you have for other tourism enterprises that may have not yet

started or are just beginning their sustainability journey?

Sonu: Absolutely. Very often you will find that the most responsible way to do business is not only the

most sustainable, but also the most profitable. Often there are only small tweaks needed. For instance,

we replaced imported drinking water with our own produced Soneva Drinking Water back in 2008. This

has avoided more than a million plastic bottles going to landfill and at the same time we have reduced the

cost of providing drinking water to our

guests. We have used a large portion

of the financial benefit to give over

600,000 people access to safe water.

A win-win situation for both the

environment, the society, and our

bottom line. So our message would be

to look at all aspects of your

operation and realize that small

tweaks can have huge beneficial

impacts for both your profits and the

environment. [end]

We encourage you to visit Soneva's sustainability page to learn more about their environmental and

social initiatives. The 2014-2015 Sustainability Report can be accessed here.

CREST Summer & Fall Eco-Travel Auctions

Summer CREST hosted two online fundraising eco-travel auctions this quarter, one in July and one in September. The auctions featured donated trips from the following exemplary travel companies:

July: !Xaus Lodge, Aristi Mountain Resort & Villas, Cheetah Paw Eco Lodge, Golden Door, Hacienda Santa Rosa, Kasbah du Toubkal, Riad AnaYela, Tasmanian Walking Company, and Xixim Unique Mayan Hotel.

September: 250 Main Hotel, Basecamp Explorer (Platinum Sponsor), Black Point Inn, CGH Earth, Coco Collection, Ecoventura, The Explorer's Passage, FiveThirtyEight, Inn At Ocean's Edge, InterContinental New York Barclay, Legendary Lodge, New York Hall of Science, Playa Cativo Lodge, Rancho La Puerta, Singita, and Costa Navarino (Temes SA).

These eco-travel auctions, hosted online by CharityBuzz, are vital to CREST's operations, and we are so grateful to have such a supportive industry behind us. These auctions also give us and our network an opportunity to get to know different companies and to learn from responsible travel initiatives that have

taken hold all over the world. CREST will be hosting a small auction October 25 – November 15 and our Holiday auction December 6 – 20. If you are interested in donating, please contact Samantha Hogenson. Otherwise, consider checking our upcoming auctions to get a trip for a holiday gift!

Meet Our Fall Interns

As part of our "sharing expertise" goal at CREST, we have built a strong internship program for students of responsible tourism. This fall, we are hosting the following four stellar students:

Antu Asfaw is a graduate from Barry University in Miami, Florida. He majored in criminology with a focus on environmental justice. He is currently interested in international sustainable tourism and is looking forward to starting graduate school on the subject in the Washington, DC area. He is originally from Ethiopia and would like to use his education to give back to his country.

Natsuka Hagiwara is a junior studying tourism education at Tokai University in Japan, and will graduate in March 2018. The main focus of her major is to promote tourism education in Japan, so that future industry leaders understand the importance of tourism planning, responsible travel, and the intricacies of tourism. She has joined CREST through The Washington Center program this fall.

Read Natsuka's essay, "Sustainability and Japanese Tourism: The Role of Education."

Helena Servé is a postgraduate student at Aalborg University Copenhagen in Denmark and will be graduating with her master's in tourism, with a specialization in global tourism development, in June 2017. After her bachelor studies in tourism & travel management in Germany, with a focus on business administration in tourism, and an internship at RIU Hotels & Resorts in Spain, she felt the need to engage deeper with the cultural and environmental aspects of tourism to gain a more holistic view on the development and the impacts of tourism.

Read Helena's essay, "Hoi An, Vietnam: Lessons Learned in a World Heritage Site."

Ignacio Trujillo is a senior at Insituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, in Mexico, and will graduate with a bachelor´s degree in international business in December 2017. He says he felt the need to contribute to protecting the environment when he first began to understand the implications of uncontrolled human action. He is particularly interested in various types of clean and reneweable energy and diminishing the use of polluting energy sources. He has joined CREST through The Washington Center this semester to learn to apply tourism to both of these areas of interest.

Read Ignacio's essay, "Winds of Change in Aruba."

CREST Internships Available

Are you a student who is passionate about responsible travel? Two program & research internships for are available! Graduate students are preferred, though exceptional undergradutes will also be considered. The deadline is rolling. Contact CREST managing director, Samantha Hogenson, for more information.

Partner Announcements

Bodhi Surf School Ocean Guardian Contest

Are you an environmental leader? Want to win a vacation in Costa Rica? Check out Bodhi Surf School's 2016 Ocean Guardian Contest! Submit a short video to tell your environmental story between October 1 – 10. Between October 11 and October 20 the Bodhi Surf advisory board team will be reviewing the entries and identifying the highest scoring finalists to move onto the public voting round. Public voting will take place from October 21st – October 30th. Visit the Bodhi Surf School website for more information!

Isle of Reefs Indiegogo Campaign

Isle of Reefs Tours is an incredible ecotourism business in Carriacou, Grenada, that has been a friend of CREST for a long time. Isle of Reefs actively participates in the Grenada Bank Marine Protected Area Network, which monitors and manages environmental issues in the Grenadines, and works with school children to do beach clean ups and to teach them about environmental protection. Plus, Isle of Reefs provides valuable employment to the island. As a result of their growth, they are asking for help to outfit a second boat, purchase additional equipment and provide the necessary staff training in preparation for the introduction of two new tour products for the upcoming season. These new tours – guided kayaking tours and citizen science tours - would foster environmental awareness and provide much needed employment on the island. To learn more about this initiative, visit their Indiegogo page.

Sustainable Destinations List Released

The Sustainable Destinations Top 100 was unveiled September 27, 2016, on World Tourism Day and Green Destinations Day. The awards celebrate the efforts of tourism destinations' responsible and sustainable tourism initiatives. The 2016 edition of the Sustainable Destinations Top 100 is the result of a collaborative effort of over 30 evaluators, led by a selection panel made up of Albert Salman of Green Destinations, Jonathan Tourtellot of the Destination Stewardship Center, Masaru Takayama of the Asian Ecotourism Network, Brian Mullis of Sustainable Travel International, and Randy Durband of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (Special Advisor). Congratulations to the winners on this important recognition and to the organizers for putting together such a comprehensive initiative!

READ Global Update

We would like to take a moment to familiarize you with a wonderful non-profit, READ Global, established by a responsible tour operator. READ was inspired by a simple wish from a Nepalese trekking guide: to have a library for his village. Dr. Antonia "Toni" Neubauer, a former language teacher and education researcher, had traveled throughout Asia for decades with her adventure travel company Myths and Mountains. Embracing the opportunity to give back to a part of the world that had filled her with so much joy, Toni harnessed her resources and founded Rural Education and Development (READ) Global in 1991 in Nepal. Today, we establish community library and resource centers (READ Centers) by partnering with rural communities in South Asia, where a majority of women are illiterate, and most families live below the poverty line. All of our READ Centers are owned and operated by the local community. Each Center has a library, computer room, women's section, children's room, and training hall. Here is a look at the numbers:

92 READ Community Library Centers across Nepal, Bhutan, and India 62 are in Nepal 22 are in India 8 are in Bhutan READ has touched the lives of 2.3 million people READ has served 287 village with READ Centers READ has established 133 for-profit businesses to sustain the centers and provide jobs for local

people

This is a prime example of the good tourism organizations can do in the world. Please consider learning more and getting involved.

End of Year Giving & AmazonSmile

The holiday season is almost upon us, and as you plan your seasonal giving, please consider supporting

CREST's mission and responsible travel initiatives. Our work is entirely funded by public and private

grants and donations. CREST is a registered 501(c)3, so donating is easy, secure, and tax deductible!

Also, as you begin your holiday shopping, there is a very easy way you can support CREST at no added

cost to you! You shop. Amazon gives. It's as simple as that! AmazonSmile is an easy automatic way for

you to support CREST every time you shop. To support CREST with your purchases, go to

www.smile.amazon.com. When prompted, type "Center for Responsible Travel" as your charity of choice.

It's the same Amazon you know, but when going through Smile, Amazon donates 0.5% of the price of

your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to the charitable organization of your choice. Sign up in time for

holiday shopping!

CREST in the News August 31, 2016: "We Need to Ensure that Economic Development Reaches the Country’s

Poorest" states GFDD Fellow Emma Fawcett during Publication Launch: CREST's Martha Honey joined a panel put on by the Global Foundation for Democracy and Development Fellow's Program, in honor of the launch of Emma Fawcett's publication that highlights key challenges the tourism industry in the Dominican Republic is facing.

September 22, 2016: The Paradox of "Last Chance Tourism": "Last Chance Tourism" is "a niche tourism market focused on witnessing and experiencing a place before it disappears." CREST's Samantha Hogenson weighs in on the pros and cons of this form of tourism in this Sierra Club article by Katie O'Reilly.