Jonathon Tourtellot: Fellow with National Geographic and CEO of the Destination Stewardship Center
Journalist, editor, speaker and consultant, Jonathan Tourtellot runs the nonprofit Destination Stewardship Center, successor to National Geographic’s Center for Sustainable Destinations.
The Center’s mission is to help protect the world’s distinctive places by supporting wisely managed tourism and enlightened destination stewardship.
[Bob Haan and crew building boardwalks at Hoggs Falls during Tourtellot’s visit to the Beaver Valley]
Tourtellot originated the concept of the geotourism approach – endorsed in 2013 by the Organization of American States – and instituted National Geographic’s Geotourism MapGuide program, which ran for more than a decade.
Notably, each geotourism mapping project required citizen engagement so as to raise local appreciation for their community’s unique natural and cultural assets. Â
[Ben Caesar welcomes Tourtellot to his home]
In 2023, tourism experts from the Aspiring Georgian Bay Geopark recognized a unique opportunity for the Beaver Valley to benefit from Tourtellot’s destination stewardship approach, and they put several local residents in touch with Jonathan.
Jonathan arrived in the Beaver Valley in April of that year, and was warmly welcomed by the community.
After several days spent touring the watershed, meeting locals, seeing sights, connecting with local businesses, and presenting to municipal government, he introduced this unique approach to tourism to a packed hall in Kimberley.
The visit precipitated a Destination Stewardship steering committee and an early draft of guiding principles.Â
[Tourtellot presents to the Beaver River watershed community in April 2023]
[Cover of Tourtellot’s powerpoint presentation]
During Tourtellot’s three-decade career as a senior editor at the National Geographic Society, he wrote about geography, the environment, travel, and science.
Currently, Tourtellot presents at tourism and stewardship-related events worldwide; edits an e-magazine, the Destination Stewardship Report, for all readers who take care of places where tourism occurs; and continues writing about tourism’s interaction with people and places, especially with an eye to overtourism.
In addition, Tourtellot is a co-founder of the global Future of Tourism Coalition and a primary author of its stewardship principles, adapted from his work at National Geographic and since endorsed by some 700 Coalition signatories. He has guest-lectured at several universities and works closely with Purdue and the George Washington University, as well as the Global Sustainable Tourism Council.
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