Seven Phases of Regenerative Destination Management
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From the work with the English Core Cities and the experience of other destinations around the world who have worked with the GDS-Movement, seven key steps have been identified as a roadmap to success for destinations wanting to implement a regenerative management approach. Destinations new to sustainability should start at Step 1. Other destinations that are further along in their journey can start at whichever step feels most appropriate.
Step by Step
Step 1: Commit
Begin your journey by securing a strong commitment. This involves obtaining executive sponsorship, appointing a passionate programme leader, and publicly declaring your intentions. For Startup-Phase destinations, this may mean gaining senior leadership’s support to dedicate time and resources and identifying a volunteer to initiate grassroots efforts. If full commitment seems challenging, utilise the other steps and tools provided to help catalyse your progress.
Step 2: Assess
Conduct an assessment to understand your destination’s current state of sustainability. Identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. VisitEngland’s self-assessment tool, the GDS- Index, and the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) Destination Criteria offer valuable and publicly available criteria for evaluating your current performance and developing an improvement plan.
Step 3: Engage
Build relationships and encourage collaboration by engaging employees, local businesses and those involved in, or impacted by, tourism activities. Establish working groups, join existing networks, and empower local communities by involving them in decision-making processes. This inclusive approach builds support and helps ensure a sense of local ownership.
Step 4: Come together
Organise forums and workshops to co-create a shared vision and agree actionable goals for the destination. Form a taskforce of experts to refine, endorse and help drive the plan, ensuring diverse representation and commitment.
Step 5: Implement
Put the agreed plans into action. Start with an internal sustainability programme, (promoting green office practices, and engaging employees at all levels). Then implement destination-wide initiatives, focusing on agreed priorities.
Step 6: Measure and report
Be data-led and measure progress to understand the impact of your strategies. Collect quantitative and qualitative data, analyse performance, and regularly monitor and report progress. Transparency and continuous learning are crucial for accountability and improvement.
Step 7: Tell the story
Communicate your journey and successes to inspire action and build trust. Share stories that highlight positive transformations, support certified sustainable businesses, and community engagement. Use various platforms to maintain context and avoid greenwashing, ensuring honesty and transparency in your messaging.
