Why does tourism need its own strategic development model?Each destination is unique, and is at a different stage of its lifecycle. And tourism isn't even an industry, it is a collection of services. Yet, most countries, regions or cities deploy standard models such as SWOT that were developed for companies and organisations whose functions and objectives are entirely different. In this week's show, Gary and Jens discuss adapting specifically for tourism, the SOAR framework (Strengths, Opportunities, Aspirations & Results), which was formulated by two economists in 2009 to shift the focus from problem finding to possibility seeking. The journey takes us from Maldives, Faroe Islands and Finland to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Chile, Thailand, Japan and South Korea. En route, we discuss whether destinations should (or shouldn't) covet ideas from their competitors, and if complementary destination partnerships are viable. Plus, what is Destination Beige, and how does it drain value from a destination? And how do you effectively measure purpose and meaning, not just arrivals and revenue?

"Spatial, economic and social processes shape tourism development - and tourism, in turn, reshapes economic spaces.” This week, Gary chats with Joao Romao, Associate Professor at Yasuda Women’s University in Japan, about his new book, Economic Geography of Tourism. An economist, tourism policy advisor and former journalist and travel documentary maker, Joao places contemporary tourism in the context of shifting global economic, technological, societal, environmental and political challenges. In alignment with us here at High-Yield Tourism, his book advocates for “tourism strategies that are economically viable, and effectively sustainable, inclusive and resilient.” We take a journey from Japan to South East Asia, South America and Europe to discuss the evolving socio-economic and ecological issues confronting destinations. We debate whether sustainable or regenerative tourism practices can be achieved within market-regulated economies. And, we contrast the positive benefits of technological advancements for destinations with the increasing concentration of travel data among a few tech giants. We finish by breaking down a key tenet of the book, "There is a lot of transformation and gentrification of cities as a result of tourism," and the spatial issues this is creating for tourism planners and policymakers on all continents.

“Youth travellers are the biggest spenders in New Zealand. They stay a minimum of 8 weeks, and visit between 7 and 9 regions which gives us fantastic national dispersal.” New Zealand has historically championed backpacking and youth tourism, a segment of international travel that many destinations overlook. But is it high-yield? You bet. And it delivers priceless word-of-mouth advocacy. In tandem with a successful Working Holiday Visa scheme, world-class adventure travel offerings - think: skydiving, white-water rafting, mountain biking and bungee jumping - and innovative, high-experience hostel brands, youth travel continues to drive New Zealand’s visitor economy. This week, Gary chats with Rotorua-based Haydn Marriner, Board Chair of the Backpacker, Youth & Adventure Tourism Association of New Zealand (BYATA), to discuss its 5-year plan to further transform travel for adventure-seeking young people. A key tenet is building sector insights, benchmarking youth tourism performance and developing new adventure products. This will help build the case to secure "funding for growth" and enable the 18-35-year-old segment to power New Zealand's goal of doubling tourism turnover by 2050.