Sonoma ObservatoryAs a recent member of the UN World Tourism Organization's International Network of Observatories, the Sonoma Sustainable Tourism Observatory is focusing on areas such as the ongoing and recurring drought conditions, climate change responsiveness and resilience, and the ways in which state parks can connect communities.
We will also examine the role of wine tourism and agritourism with their emphasis on organic and biodynamic techniques and the position they play as leaders and educators in green growing techniques. |
Sonoma 2021: Build Back Better2020 has been called "A Year Unlike Any Other". Covid-19 shut down the tourism industry in Sonoma County entirely, leading to business closures and a new question, "how can we do this better?"
Now, halfway through 2021, tourism is returning but new crises have emerged; supply chain issues and an employment crisis. |
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Community Supported Parks System
Jack London State Historic Park and Sugarloaf Ridge State Park moved to a community run management model. Now funded mainly by revenue from parking, gift shops, and events planned and hosted by the community and donations, the two parks are thriving, and welcoming more visitors than ever before.
Jack London State Historic Park and Sugarloaf Ridge State Park moved to a community run management model. Now funded mainly by revenue from parking, gift shops, and events planned and hosted by the community and donations, the two parks are thriving, and welcoming more visitors than ever before.
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A “sustainable tourism observatory” is responsible for monitoring, and reporting on, the sustainability of tourism actions and policies in its destination area (in this case, Sonoma County), using methodologies outlined in the World Tourism Organization’s “Guidebook on Indicators of Sustainable Development for Tourism Destinations”. As in this case, Observatories are generally located near institutions of learning which have established libraries capable of serving as repositories for the Observatory’s publications and collections of sustainable tourism research by other member-observatories in the world-wide UNWTO network.
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It is the aim of the Observatory to advise and assist Sonoma County stakeholders in their efforts toward achieving sustainability in the tourism and hospitality industries.
The Observatory will also work with state and local government, the university and academic institutions, agriculture and the wineries, citizen organizations and conservation organizations, and the residents in the communities that host tourism in our destination area. |
Sonoma has been a leader in the field of sustainability for years, I can't think of a better spot for a UNWTO Observatory."
