El Dorado County Launches Sustainable Tourism Program Tourism program to promote recreation, arts and culture launched Published on Jul 3, 2009 - 6:59:48 AM
South Lake Tahoe, California July 3, 2009 - The Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce (LTSSCC) was awarded a $90,000 grant by El Dorado County to pursue a Geotourism program. Geotourism is defined by National Geographic as "tourism that sustains or enhances the unique geographical character of a place - its environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage and well being of its local residents." This effort is part of a sustainable tourism strategy proposed and endorsed by the Chamber in coordination with several other programs and entities in an effort to diversify and strengthen the local economy and enhance the sense of community. LTSSCC has also convened a green business cooperative comprised of local businesses that have implemented green practices and want to share resources and skills within their community.
"We live, work and play in one of the most treasured regions of the world and thus we are encouraging the implementation and recognition of daily practices that ensure community, environmental and economic sustainability. Geotourism's principles embrace all three of these areas and provide a way for our entire county to work together to improve the quality of life for all, while inviting visitors to discover what we already know, which is that we are blessed to live in such an incredibly diverse and spectacular area," states LTSSCC President and CEO Betty "B" Gorman.
The consulting team of GeoSierra has been hired by LTSSCC to commence phase one of the El Dorado County Geotourism program. GeoSierra's charge is to work with the various communities, including experts, residents and tourism organizations, to develop an inventory of El Dorado County's rich cultural heritage, recreational and natural attractions, the very best and most authentic of which will be promoted on a website, printed maps and travel itineraries to attract visitors to spend more time and visit more locations in the county.
The GeoSierra team of Jacquie Chandler (messaging specialist and Tahoe Basin Geotourism liaison to National Geographic), Peter Brumis (Ecomentum.com founder and international ecotourism expert) and Penelope Curtis (California arts and heritage tourism expert) will work with the community to identify and nominate sites, features, businesses, events and stories that are unique and authentic to El Dorado County, using criteria adopted from National Geographic's Geotourism program. Geotourism includes and supports niche tourism segments such as ecotourism, agri-tourism, volun-tourism, culinary tourism/slow food movement, arts, cultural and heritage tourism. By promoting things that are unique to El Dorado County, visitors will have an improved "sense of place" and the destination will be more easily differentiated from other tourist areas and attractions. A Stewardship Council from throughout the county has been appointed, comprised of experts in fields such as hospitality, forestry, recreation, arts, heritage, higher education and indigenous communities to work with GeoSierra and LTSSCC to review the community's geotourism asset nominations.
"People are looking for more authentic and sustainable travel experiences," said GeoSierra partner Peter Brumis. "This fact combined with consumers' decreased buying power is leading people to travel closer to home and look for affordable, unique experiences. El Dorado County is a world-class destination, but it's not currently marketing all of its unique tourism assets and attractions to the fullest extent, such as recreational opportunities, agricultural tourism, events, volunteer opportunities and indigenous, historic and heritage sites. This effort also aims to spread visitors out in order to preserve some of El Dorado's over-visited areas, such as Lake Tahoe's Emerald Bay."
"From the standpoint of other rural tourism destinations," Penelope Curtis reports, "El Dorado provides new geotourism experiences, from Gold Rush historical towns to appellation vineyards. The GeoSierra team will engage local communities in the nomination so they can tell their stories to help the visitor enjoy the locale in a richer more meaningful way. Each community then becomes a docent for their unique identities that will capture the hearts of the visitors."
Jacquie Chandler adds, "Geo, eco and heritage tourism are leading the way in responding to a growing desire by travelers to feel more connected to the places they visit. The idea is to weave the best of all three into a new tapestry of travel that engages visitors while sustaining the unique beauty of a place."
Community workshops will be held in July and August and the public is invited to attend for free. Healthy snacks will be provided. The following dates and locations have already been announced with more on the way:
July 15th 5-7 pm: Mother Lode River Center, Hwy 49, Coloma, CA www.malode.com
July 21st 2-4 pm: US Forest Service Management Office, Emerald Bay Room, College Drive, South Lake Tahoe, CA
July 27th 5-7 pm: Valhalla Hall at Tallac Historic Site, Valhalla, Hwy 89, South Lake Tahoe, CA www.valhallatahoe.com
To learn more about these or future workshops or to participate in the project by nominating attractions in El Dorado County, visit www.tahoechamber.org or contact Peter Brumis at 530-318-7599 or Jacquie Chandler at 775 287-3982 or email GeoSierra for information for workshops at info@geosierra.org.
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