Gateway Community Toolkit for towns next door to national parks >>

Tourism can contribute to preserving your locale—or to degrading it. These links can help your community plan constructively.



Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf
Certification program for making golf courses eco-friendly. The site offers case studies, surveys, research on golf and the environment, and more.

Community Tourism Assessment Handbook
An online nine-step guide designed to help determine whether tourism development is right for a given community. Published by the Western Rural Development Center, Montana State University Extention.

Community-based Tourism in the Asia-Pacific
The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, Canadian Tourism Commission, and Canadian International Development Agency introduce community-based tourism with good examples from the Asia-Pacific region.

Earth Island Institute
An environmental advocacy group of more than thirty activist grassroots projects worldwide.

Green Tourism Association
This extensive Toronto-based website provides a helpful model for sustainable tourism in metropolitan areas.

Namibia Community-Based Tourism Association (NACOBTA)
The association helps communities to develop tourism enterprises in Namibia. The simple but useful site lists community projects in this developing country by region.

National Trust for Historic Preservation Library, University of Maryland
Useful links provide help with preserving your community's culture and heritage. Monthly features address topics such as preserving historic theaters and New Urbanism—creating walkable cities and towns.

Overseas Development Institute
This British think tank provides a paper on how tourism can be used for poverty alleviation in developing countries.

Tourism Concern
British-based site critiquing tourism impacts on communities and the environment. Provides news, articles, statistics, codes, cross-links to other sites and forums. Rich but roughly organized content.

World Legacy Awards
Information on the awards presented by Conservation International and National Geographic Traveler magazine, including one for Destination Stewardship. The site provides application forms for your locale to apply.



Conservation International (CI)
Gives information on CI's community ecotourism projects and initiatives in fostering partnerships between communities and the travel business, mainly in tropical biodiversity hotspots worldwide.

RARE Center for Tropical Conservation
This nonprofit conservation agency runs ecotourism and community development programs in tropical regions, including nature-guide training for local residents. The site gives more details on their programs.

The Nature Conservancy
This conservation group works with communities in the U.S. and abroad to develop ecotourism programs, including market research, guide training, enterprise development, and business partnerships. (Also in Spanish.)



Genographic Legacy Fund
Indigenous groups can apply for grants from National Geographic's Genographic Legacy Fund, which aims to empower indigenous and traditional peoples on a local level, including management of tourism. The Genographic Project, a partnership between National Geographic and IBM, researches the genetic diversity of humanity by learning about ancient migratory paths our ancestors took to populate the planet. Proceeds from public sales of Genographic kits support the Legacy Fund.

Indigenous Tourism Rights International
Formerly the Rethinking Tourism Project, this organization works with indigenous communities to protect native cultures. Describes current projects and includes news, articles, and a monthly newsletter. (In English and Spanish.)

National Trust for Historic Preservation
This U.S. organization offers various programs, including the Main Street Center, which works with communities to revitalize their historic or traditional commercial areas, and the Heritage Tourism Program, which provides information on how heritage tourism can help an area and how an individual or community can get involved with heritage tourism. For the Historic Hotels program see historichotels.nationaltrust.org.



The Conservation Fund
Helps U.S. communities buy and protect ecologically or culturally significant land and water areas through community initiatives and leadership training. Its several programs include the American Greenways Program and the Civil War Battlefield Campaign.

Partners for Livable Communities
A nonprofit organization that works for economic and cultural revitalization of U.S. communities.

Project for Public Spaces
Offers products and services helping communities in the U.S. and abroad to create successful public places from parks and waterfronts to plazas, buildings, and streets.

Scenic America
Provides U.S. communities with information and assistance in preserving scenic character.

Sprawl Watch
A comprehensive clearinghouse of resources on smart growth and sprawl control. Includes "Best Practices" and "What You Can Do" sections.



American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy
Offers a user's guide to green transportation and articles on the how's and why's of buying green. For $8.95, you can consult an online or printed catalog of environmentally friendly cars and trucks.

Northeast Sustainable Energy Association
This U.S. organization provides information on ecofriendly cars and trucks, plus strategies for reducing the environmental impacts of transportation.