Building Tourism That Matters: Why This Book Exists

After almost two decades working across tourism, destination strategy, culture, and place development, I’m excited...and perhaps a little nervous...to finally share something I’ve been working on these last few months.

My book, Tourism That Matters, is now available on Amazon: https://a.co/d/0gFB9u7M.

Tourism That Matters comes from a fairly simple idea:

Tourism is not worth doing if it does not benefit the communities in which it happens.

But the book was also shaped by another realization I kept encountering throughout my career: Every place has the right to participate in tourism, but not every place has equal access to the resources, expertise, or strategic support needed to do it well.

Too often, the best thinking in tourism strategy is reserved for destinations that can afford expensive advisory teams and large consulting retainers. This book was written partly to challenge that reality.

It is meant for tourism practitioners across governments, tourism boards, developers, cultural institutions, private sector organizations, and anyone interested in understanding how tourism and destination strategies are actually built, particularly those trying to think deeply and strategically about the future of their place with limited resources.

Importantly, the book explores tourism not as an isolated industry, but as part of a broader system shaping cities, regions, economies, identity, and everyday life. It looks at strategy, governance, culture, differentiation, destination development, and the long-term tradeoffs involved in building places people want to visit, live in, and care about.

Some of the ideas in the book also became the foundation for newer work I’ve been developing through Wild Sage Advisors and the broader DVQ (Destination Vibe Quotient) research initiative exploring how culture, identity, and urban energy shape the global relevance of places.

Appreciate everyone who has challenged my thinking, trusted me with projects over the years, debated ideas over coffee or a drink, and helped shape how I see this industry and the role it can play in the world.

Would love to hear what people think once they’ve read it.