Tourism for Tomorrow: Sustainable Solutions for Travel, Ecosystems, and Economy in Ohio and Beyond

Program Overview

Hotels, restaurants, airlines, state parks – these are just a few examples of the many services and commercial enterprises that make up the vast and multi-faceted network of the tourism industry. Interconnected with the hospitality industry (which serves both tourists and full-time residents,) the tourism industry works to fulfill the varied lodging, transportation, dining, and entertainment needs of guests, resulting in major economic benefits, as well as positive social and cultural outcomes¹. In 2019, the United States tourism industry accounted for 2.9% of the gross domestic product (GDP) and sustained 9.5 million jobs across the country². Ohio’s tourism industry alone supported roughly 436,000 direct and indirect jobs in 2023, with visitation numbers around 238 million³.

Along with these economic benefits, however, come concerns about sustainability. Environmental impacts such as increased car traffic and subsequent pollution, waste generation and natural resource degradation can accompany a rise in visitorship. Full-time residents can also feel economic impacts associated with rising housing, land, and transportation costs⁴.

This program aims to address some of these questions, while providing insights from leaders in the field on the exciting advancements being made to improve sustainability within the industry and how to increase incentives for doing so. We’ll hear from Ohio State Alumna, Amy Wald, Founder and President, Greenluxe, Inc., Claudia Vecchio, President and CEO, Sonoma County Tourism, Dr. Willy Legrand, Professor, IU International University of Applied Sciences, and Karen Raymore, Executive Director, Hocking Hills Tourism Association.

Join this EPN event to learn more about this emerging and exciting field of sustainability and travel, and its implications for hospitality specialists, tourists, environmental professionals, community, and business leaders in Ohio and beyond!  

References

¹ Journal of Business & Finance Librarianship, “The Best of the Web: Hospitality and Tourism Web Sites” (2008) link here.

² International Trade Administration, “Travel and Tourism Industry” link here.

³ About TourismOhio (2023) link here.

⁴ National Library of Medicine, “Health outcomes of tourism development: A longitudinal study of the impact of tourism arrivals on residents’ health” (2020) link here.

Agenda

7:15 a.m. Doors open at Ohio State 4-H Center; Coffee served for in-person attendees.  

7:40 a.m. Breakfast buffet served for in-person attendees.  

8:00 a.m. Livestreaming service begins for virtual attendees.   

8:05 a.m. Tim Haab, PhD, director, Ohio State’s School of Environment and Natural Resources (SENR) provides welcome remarks.  

8:10 a.m. Hifsah Ayub, Ohio State student, SENR Ambassador, connects sustainable tourism to her experiences as a student in SENR's Environment, Economy, Development, and Sustainability major.

8:15 a.m. Amy Wald, Founder and President, Greenluxe, overviews the morning's key themes.  

8:30 a.m. Willy Legrand, PhD, Professor, IU International University of Applied Sciences, Bonn, Germany, discusses current trends in Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) in the tourism and hospitality sectors.

8:40 a.m. Claudia Vecchio, President and CEO, Sonoma County Tourism, demonstrates how a community responds to and recovers from climate change-driven disasters to double down on destination stewardship. 

8:50 a.m. Karen Raymore, Executive Director, Hocking Hills Tourism Association (HHTA), describes the value of sustainability in tourism and shares the HHTA’s recent completion of their Destination Stewardship Plan.

9:00 a.m. Panel discussion with Dr. Legrand, Vecchio, and Raymore, moderated by Wald. 

9:15 a.m. Audience in-person and virtual question and answer session.  

9:30 a.m. Haab concludes the EPN Breakfast program component. Livestreaming service concludes for virtual attendees. Networking session for in-person guests. 

Extended educational sessions begin for in-person guests only. This program will include a one-hour workshop that provides skill sets and strategies to implement sustainable tourism concepts in your business, followed by a brief networking session to connect and share best practices.

9:45 a.m. Educational workshop on the opportunities and challenges associated with implementing sustainable practices in your organization or business led by Amy Wald and Claudia Vecchio.

10:30 a.m. Networking session - light food and beverage provided.

11:00 a.m. Program concludes.