Whidbey and Camano Islands Tourism Named Early Adopter by Transformational Travel Council

COUPEVILLE, Wash., July 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Whidbey and Camano Islands Tourism is undergoing strategic planning in partnership with the Transformational Travel Council (TTC) in a bold step to adapt to a forever-changed travel industry, and to lay the groundwork for a future-fit destination. An early adopter of the TTC’s Regenerative Places Program, the year-long process cultivates shared values and vision, builds stakeholder capacity, and facilitates the co-creation of a Regenerative Action Plan. This process is designed to develop the self-regulation of the islands’ tourism systems, and ultimately plant the seeds for a tourism industry that improves the lives of residents, enriches the visitor experience, and benefits the natural environment of the islands.

“Tourism is the third largest industry in Island County, yet with islands being particularly vulnerable to over-tourism, there is a desire to change how this industry affects our sense of place,” says Sherrye Wyatt, PR & marketing manager for Whidbey and Camano Islands Tourism. “We see the early signs of unsustainable visitor trends and we want to mold our strategy in a proactive way that will ensure that our community and environment will thrive alongside our tourism industry for years to come.”

“While the industry is drawn to buzz words like “transformational” or “sustainable” tourism as part of a rebrand or messaging, at this critical moment, it is vital that we walk the walk, even when it is hard. Early adopters of our program, like Whidbey and Camano Islands Tourism, are going through a transformative process that unifies, shifts mindsets, and opens them up to new ways of believing, doing, and being so they can fully embrace transformative and regenerative approaches. We hope that by helping them with sensemaking we’re able to cultivate an emergence from within that fosters a community that works for all and does so long after we’ve left,” says Jake Haupert, CEO of the TTC.