Tippi, Marketing Manager for the Tourism Authority of Thailand's LA office, joins the show to unpack what it really takes to promote an Asian destination in the North American market. We cover the budget challenges of competing with Japan, the lack of direct flights, and how Thailand has repositioned itself far beyond the old "sun, sea, and sand" stereotypes. Tippi also shares the regional diversity most travelers never see — from mountainous northern trekking to the prehistoric cave paintings of the northeast — and explains why Thai hospitality ranks as the number one reason visitors return. Plus: a fascinating dive into the five-elements theory behind Thai and Korean cuisine, the green tourism initiatives Thailand is building with Tourism Cares, and what sustainable daily practices Tippi hopes to learn next.

Business Class is brought to you by Learn Tourism, the nonprofit academy - harnessing the power of science, business psychology and adult education to advance the tourism industry and build sustainable economies. Learn how to engage your community, win over stakeholders and get more visitors at learntourism.org.

Support the show

Carylann Assante has led the Student & Youth Travel Association (SYTA) and the SYTA Youth Foundation for more than 15 years, and her own story starts in the back of a 1960s station wagon, leaning on a cooler with a road atlas, funded by her mom's "travel bank account." In this episode, she and Stephen (friends for about 15 years themselves) talk about how travel shapes young people, what has and hasn't changed in running an association, and two ideas the tourism industry has been slow to act on.

In this episode:

• Why Carylann has a favorite experience, not a favorite place (and what Buc-ee's has to do with it)
• Why the small local trip matters as much as the big one, and how SYTA is reframing "the first trip"
• What hasn't changed about associations in 15 years, and the 10 to 20% engagement number every membership leader will recognize
• How peer-to-peer learning gives introverts a way to contribute without taking the stage
• Finding her "why" as a leader who contributes rather than dominates, and the lesson she took from longtime ASAE CEO John Graham
• Two ideas for the industry: bringing travel programs to technical and community colleges, and helping young people put travel experience on a resume that AI screening tools will actually recognize

Learn more about SYTA and the SYTA Youth Foundation at syta.org, or email info@syta.org.

Business Class is brought to you by Learn Tourism, the nonprofit academy - harnessing the power of science, business psychology and adult education to advance the tourism industry and build sustainable economies. Learn how to engage your community, win over stakeholders and get more visitors at learntourism.org.

Support the show

Some visitors arrive in Greenland asking where the train station is. (There are no roads between towns.) Linda Kleist, the new CEO of Visit Greenland, treats moments like that as feedback. In this conversation, she explains why Greenland measures success by community support and not just visitor numbers, and how one idea, "our everyday, your adventure," is helping Greenlanders see their own lives through visitors' eyes.

In this episode:

* Why Greenland is far more than ice and snow, from South Greenland's sheep and trees to the months-long polar night up north
* What Linda learned about local pride on a trip to the Faroe Islands
* "Our everyday, your adventure": turning everyday life into a destination brand
* Social license to operate, and why visitor counts aren't the whole story
* Her advice for newcomers to destination development: start with the community, then work outward
* Young Greenlanders are building tourism businesses around what they already love

Plan your visit at visitgreenland.com.

Business Class is a podcast by Learn Tourism, featuring conversations with destination and tourism leaders from around the industry. Learn more at learntourism.org.

Business Class is brought to you by Learn Tourism, the nonprofit academy - harnessing the power of science, business psychology and adult education to advance the tourism industry and build sustainable economies. Learn how to engage your community, win over stakeholders and get more visitors at learntourism.org.

Support the show

Two years ago, wildfire evacuation orders emptied Big Bear Lake of 6,000 residents with nowhere to go. What Travis Scott and his team did next — coordinating free emergency housing through Airbnb.org — became the model the City of Los Angeles used during last year's wildfires.

In this episode, Travis Scott, CEO of Visit Big Bear, joins us to talk about what it looks like when a destination organization shows up as a true community partner, not just a marketing shop. We cover his path from the wine industry into destination management, his philosophy of building a destination brand with the community rather than handing it to them, how those relationships evolved into a real disaster response, and his candid take on where AI is helping — and hurting — the craft of tourism storytelling.

In this episode:

• How Travis went from running wineries for 20 years to leading destination organizations
• Why he believes DMOs should give communities a voice in the brand, not just deliver one to them
• The story behind Visit Big Bear's wildfire evacuation housing program — and how it became a template for LA
• What stewardship means beyond a "leave no trace" sign
• AI's real impact on direct bookings, and the case for AI as a catalyst for better storytelling, not a replacement for it
• What Travis is learning next (hint: it involves a pilot's license)

Business Class is a podcast by Learn Tourism, featuring conversations with destination and tourism leaders from around the industry.

Learn more about Learn Tourism at learntourism.org.

Business Class is brought to you by Learn Tourism, the nonprofit academy - harnessing the power of science, business psychology and adult education to advance the tourism industry and build sustainable economies. Learn how to engage your community, win over stakeholders and get more visitors at learntourism.org.

Support the show

Tofino, British Columbia has 2,500 residents and just over 700,000 visitors a year. Samantha Hackett, the new Executive Director of Tourism Tofino and a 20-year resident, explains how a community of people who chose a hard, remote place to live thinks about balancing resident and visitor needs, and why a Nuu-chah-nulth teaching of respect, shared by the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation, now sits at the center of the destination's stewardship plan.

In this episode:

• Why most Tofino residents were visitors first, and how that changes the way a town relates to tourism
• "Harder to live here than to leave here": the real cost of staying in a rural, remote community
• The one thing Samantha hopes every visitor learns: whose territory they are standing in
• Trading a tourism master plan for a destination stewardship plan, and the teaching of respect at its heart
• Why Samantha cancelled a manager meeting to take her team clam gardening with Tla-o-qui-aht, and what it started
• How visitors connect with history in a town without a big museum: Naa'Waya'Sum Gardens, canoe tours, and signage in the Nuu-chah-nulth language
• Raising kids in a town two hours from the nearest arena, where nobody locks their doors

Plan a visit at tourismtofino.com.

Business Class is a podcast by Learn Tourism, featuring conversations with destination and tourism leaders from around the industry. Learn more at learntourism.org.

Business Class is brought to you by Learn Tourism, the nonprofit academy - harnessing the power of science, business psychology and adult education to advance the tourism industry and build sustainable economies. Learn how to engage your community, win over stakeholders and get more visitors at learntourism.org.

Support the show

Tourism Deserves a Seat at the Table

What does it take for a destination organization to become one of the most trusted voices in its community?

In this episode of Business Class, Stephen Ekstrom sits down with Jill Delaney, President & CEO of Discover Albany, for a conversation about leadership, advocacy, and why destination organizations must do far more than market places.

Jill shares how Discover Albany has earned a respected voice with elected officials, community leaders, and state agencies over its 50-year history—not through politics, but through relationships, credibility, and a relentless focus on serving the community.

Along the way, she offers practical advice for emerging tourism professionals, reflects on the importance of frontline hospitality workers, discusses lifelong learning, and explains why confidence and purpose matter when advocating for your destination.

Whether you're a destination executive, hospitality leader, student, or someone passionate about community building, this episode is a reminder that tourism's greatest influence often happens long before visitors ever arrive.

In this episode you'll learn:

• How destination organizations earn a seat at influential decision-making tables
• Why advocacy is becoming an essential leadership skill in tourism
• The overlooked impact of frontline hospitality employees
• How relationships shape successful destinations
• Why curiosity and continuous learning make better leaders

Business Class is brought to you by Learn Tourism, the nonprofit academy - harnessing the power of science, business psychology and adult education to advance the tourism industry and build sustainable economies. Learn how to engage your community, win over stakeholders and get more visitors at learntourism.org.

Support the show

Tourism, Sustainability & Colombia’s Diversity with Maria Lacouture (AmCham Colombia)

Maria Lacouture, director of AmCham Colombia, explains how the nonprofit strengthens business ties between Colombia and the U.S., including tourism, through work with more than 970 American and Colombian companies. She shares how travel builds cultural understanding and adaptability, clarifies the misconception that AmCham handles visas, and describes current goals such as promoting Colombia in Washington, D.C. Lacouture highlights Colombia’s core tourism value—diversity across environments, culture, music, and gastronomy—and notes sector growth and professionalization since tourism policy efforts began in 2006, including over four million non-resident visitors last year. She emphasizes sustainable tourism as a balance of economic, social, and environmental development requiring coordination, investment, training, community participation, and long-term planning, alongside marketing that communicates human connection. She closes with the idea that tourism must be both high-tech and high-touch, with AI supporting decisions while the heart remains human.

Business Class is brought to you by Learn Tourism, the nonprofit academy - harnessing the power of science, business psychology and adult education to advance the tourism industry and build sustainable economies. Learn how to engage your community, win over stakeholders and get more visitors at learntourism.org.

Support the show

What does it really mean to create impact at scale—without losing the human connection?

In this episode, Catherine Linskey, Director of Community Impact at Hilton, shares how one of the world’s largest hospitality brands is working toward an ambitious goal: impacting 20 million people while creating 5 million learning and career opportunities by 2030. But behind those numbers are deeply personal stories—of second chances, career discovery, and communities transformed.

Catherine takes us inside the Hilton Global Foundation and the evolving role of corporate philanthropy, where impact is no longer just about writing checks—it’s about aligning business, people, and purpose. From workforce development to hyper-local community engagement across 9,000 properties, she reveals how hospitality remains, at its core, a people-first industry—even in an AI-driven world.

This conversation is a powerful reminder that the future of tourism isn’t just about destinations—it’s about opportunity, connection, and showing up for people where they are.

Business Class is brought to you by Learn Tourism, the nonprofit academy - harnessing the power of science, business psychology and adult education to advance the tourism industry and build sustainable economies. Learn how to engage your community, win over stakeholders and get more visitors at learntourism.org.

Support the show