CTTC has been tasked by its constituency to create a sustainable organization that will address the needs of tourism industry stakeholders who participate in nature, eco, geo, green, sustainable and recreational tourism. The California Sustainable Tourism Symposium (CSTS) was created for those who are dedicated to sustaining the environment, culture and heritage of their region while sustaining economic growth through tourism. Responsible sustainable tourism encompasses economically feasible, environmentally sound and socially equitable tourism in every community within California.

On March 6, CSTS met for the first time at a strategic planning roundtable to gather information and form objectives to develop a strategic plan. Attended by more than 50 sustainable tourism stakeholders, the highly successful event produced great feedback, which is being formulated into an official plan. The next strategic roundtable will be held April 24 in Los Angeles to solicit input from our Southern California partners. A sustainable tourism draft plan will be developed in April to detail mission, goals and objectives; identify necessary actions steps; identify potential obstacles or challenges; establish timelines; identify deliverables; and outline expected outcomes and recommendations moving forward. Review of the plan by the roundtable participants and public is expected in May.

CTTC hopes to launch the first official California Sustainable Tourism Summit in conjunction with the CTTC October Commission meeting, similar to the California Cultural & Heritage Tourism Corps (CCHTC) Symposium. This one-day Summit will include noted industry experts and partners who will help attendees learn to identify and produce sustainable tourism practices. In addition to educational breakout sessions by tourism industry segmentation, we will celebrate best practices of California companies and examine developing initiatives. CTTC will provide resources from the two roundtables, including sustainable best practices and a resource tool kit.

• Develop the sustainable tourism program.
• Define California’s sustainable “brand” and its tourism offerings.
• Create a workable framework for CSTS as a collaboration of industry partners.
• Communicate sustainable tourism opportunities and best practices to the tourism industry.
• Increase awareness of California sustainable tourism as measured by visits to green pages on CTTC Web site.
• Increase access to information and resources.
• New and strengthened coalitions between CTTC and governmental and nongovernmental organizations.
• Strengthened relationships between CTTC and the U.S. Travel Association’s Green Initiative, as gauged by positive feedback by U.S. Travel.
• Assist with attracting governmental corporate and foundation sponsors to further leverage CTTC budget.