Comments on: The Power of Place: Sustaining the Future of Destinations http://www.thetravelword.com/2009/03/03/the-power-of-place-sustaining-the-future-of-destinations/ Local Voices Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:41:17 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Jodi http://www.thetravelword.com/2009/03/03/the-power-of-place-sustaining-the-future-of-destinations/#comment-693 Jodi Wed, 25 Mar 2009 19:38:35 +0000 http://www.whl.travel/blog/?p=362#comment-693 Yes, very scary. Noticed this explicitly on a recent road trip from Arizona to Florida, in the USA. I find myself saying "this place looks like this place" constantly and see very little differentiation between the small towns and suburbs...unless they are clearly a tourist town or have made great strides at retaining some of their cultural heritage. The sad part about the US, though, to me, is that so much of the heritage gets exploited and commercialized to the point that it's not authentic anymore. I would love to see some more nominations for geotourism enterprises in the US. Yes, very scary. Noticed this explicitly on a recent road trip from Arizona to Florida, in the USA. I find myself saying “this place looks like this place” constantly and see very little differentiation between the small towns and suburbs…unless they are clearly a tourist town or have made great strides at retaining some of their cultural heritage. The sad part about the US, though, to me, is that so much of the heritage gets exploited and commercialized to the point that it’s not authentic anymore. I would love to see some more nominations for geotourism enterprises in the US.

]]> By: Stephen Chapman http://www.thetravelword.com/2009/03/03/the-power-of-place-sustaining-the-future-of-destinations/#comment-298 Stephen Chapman Wed, 04 Mar 2009 14:38:00 +0000 http://www.whl.travel/blog/?p=362#comment-298 Great post Len. You paint a very clear picture of why it's so important to champion the unique and identifying elements of a destination. Why we should all look hard at what makes a place special, and then strive to appreciate the story and history behind these components. After all they are the reasons we love to travel. I like that all the nominations and entries for the Geotourism Challenge are visible to everyone. It takes effort to nominate a project and for a project to be entered therefore any initiative that connects with this idea of 'power of place' and features in the nominations is probably worth checking out. It's not all hidden behind curtains and then only a handful of initiatives highlighted when the curtains are opened like in so many similar awards. Great stuff. Great post Len. You paint a very clear picture of why it’s so important to champion the unique and identifying elements of a destination. Why we should all look hard at what makes a place special, and then strive to appreciate the story and history behind these components. After all they are the reasons we love to travel.

I like that all the nominations and entries for the Geotourism Challenge are visible to everyone. It takes effort to nominate a project and for a project to be entered therefore any initiative that connects with this idea of ‘power of place’ and features in the nominations is probably worth checking out. It’s not all hidden behind curtains and then only a handful of initiatives highlighted when the curtains are opened like in so many similar awards. Great stuff.

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