Twenty years ago, 300 travel industry colleagues descended on New York City’s Ellis Island for the launch of Tourism Cares for America, a give-back program that brought together industry competitors for a day of volunteerism and collaboration.
Using the Ellis Island project as a springboard, the Travelers Conservation Foundation (from the United States Tour Operators Association, or USTOA) and the National Tour Foundation (from the National Tour Association) merged together to create the modern-day Tourism Cares, a nonprofit organization for the travel industry as a whole.
Using a Collective Power for Good
For the past 20 years, Tourism Cares has continuously been on the forefront of the sustainable and responsible travel space, using its events, community give-back programs and travel industry community members to address some of the world’s greatest economic, social and environmental challenges.
“In the beginning, Tourism Cares was unlike any organization that existed in travel,” said Bruce Beckham, founding executive director of Tourism Cares. “For the first time, we met on an even playing field where giving back was our great equalizer. The goal for all was to leave a positive impact on the local community or historic site, and at the same time create real and genuine business connections through the collaborative effort."
For the first time, we met on an even playing field where giving back was our great equalizer.
Greg Takehara, CEO of Tourism Cares, says the organization represents “the people and places of travel, dedicated to the people and places of travel,” a mindset that hasn’t changed throughout the nonprofit’s history.
“We were born from volunteerism and now, we set the course for our industry’s sustainability journey through convening, education and training,” Takehara said. “We will never stop rolling up our sleeves to do the work necessary. Our experiences are collaborative, meaningful and inspiring, and most importantly, [they] demonstrate the need for all sectors of our industry to come together.”
Greg Takehara, CEO of Tourism Cares
Credit: 2023 Tourism CaresLooking Ahead: New Programming, Events and More
Now, in 2023, Tourism Cares is celebrating its 20th birthday, building on the themes of unity, collaboration and a shared vision for the future.
“We will forge ahead in the next 20 years, and [will] continue to protect the assets that are at the center of the travel experience,” Takehara said. “It is critical for us to do so, together.”
For the first time, Tourism Cares will head to Europe for its annual Meaningful Travel Summit. The Tourism Cares With Norway Meaningful Travel Summit, produced in partnership with Innovation Norway and USTOA’s Sustainability is Responsibility conference, will take place April 18-23, 2023.
Attendees will be able to connect with vetted nonprofit and social enterprise organizations, attend education sessions on sustainability and meaningful travel, participate in networking events and leave with actionable best practices to apply to their businesses.
Additionally, Tourism Cares will be launching a brand-new event for this year: the Power of Partnership Stewardship Summit, put together in cooperation with The Cultural Heritage Economic Alliance, the Travel Foundation and the U.S. Cultural and Heritage Marketing Council.
Held in Richmond, Va., from Oct. 15-18, 2023, the summit will focus on diversity, equity and inclusion within tourism, pushing its participants to envision a collaborative, cross-sectoral future for the industry while discussing how to evolve the way the industry manages its relationships with the places and communities it uses.
New Additions to Tourism Cares’ Board of Directors
New faces have also joined Tourism Cares’ Board of Directors this year. Malia Asfour, the director of Jordan Tourism Board North America, has been named chair of the board. Asfour was instrumental in launching Tourism Cares’ Jordan Meaningful Map and the 2018 Jordan Meaningful Travel Summit.
“The growth of this organization globally, primarily through the development of the Meaningful Travel Map, has helped local communities benefit from tourism dollars, leaving a direct economic impact in these destinations,” she said. "I worked with Tourism Cares on the development of the Meaningful Travel Map of Jordan and Colombia, and the impact left behind on the people we met proves that tourism can be a force for good. I am thrilled to sit as chair of Tourism Cares, where those programs will continue to grow with the help of an experienced and passionate Board of Directors.”
Other additions to the board include Matt Berna, managing director of North America for Intrepid Travel; Ken Shapiro, vice president, publisher and Editor-in-Chief for TravelAge West; Carylann Assante, CEO of SYTA; and Julian Guerrero Orozco, the former vice minister of Tourism of Colombia and an expert in regenerative nature tourism expert. New executive committee members include Shayna Zand, head of partnerships for We Travel (vice chair I); Bryan Kinkade, publisher of AFAR (vice chair II); Reagan Stulbaum, vice president of membership borough relations and Tourism Ready for NYC and Company (secretary); and Martha Troncoza, PhD candidate at Kennesaw State University Coles College of Business (treasurer).
