Tourism Cares
Giving Thanks & Giving Back
by Paul Decker
As we navigate our lives and businesses through this“Great Recession,”it’s easy to do the
“Woe is me”thing. But here’s the reality:This is a just over a year-old phenomenon already
showing signs of waning.(Yes,I know everything’s relative!)
If you’ve been in the business for longer than that and are fortunate enough to be working,
and even those who aren’t at the moment,many have achieved some degree of achieve-
ment, success and reward in our careers.And we’ve done so in a vibrant industry that cre-
ates good experiences for its patrons,revenue for those who provide its products and serv-
ices, and economic wealth for the communities in which it thrives.
That’s not a bad day at the office. In fact,it’s something for which to give thanks.And there-
in lies one of the premises of an amazing,relatively new organization whose purpose it is to
dojustthat...togivethanks,intheformofgive-back,tothecommunitiesinwhichpeoplelike
you and me make our living and enjoy whatever rewards our careers bring us.
I’m talking about Tourism Cares, formed by merging the National Tourism Foundation
(National Tour Association) and Travelers Conservation Foundation (United States Tour
Operators Association). It’s a non-profit charity supported by travel industry destination
executives,tour operators,and product and services suppliers,all of whom believe it’s their
responsibility to leave the planet and the components of our industry in better shape when
they move on than it was when they joined it.
Tourism Cares’executive director,former tour operator and motor coach marketing consult-
ant Bruce Beckham,explains it this way:“How often have we said‘there used to be,’to our
children and grandchildren,referring to a park or building or monument that’s no longer
74 November a79 December 2009
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