What is the Sustainable Tourism Laboratory?

A growing number of governments planning and  tourism professionals throughout the world are recognizing that strategic planning processes and programs making optimal use of environmental resources, respecting the socio-cultural authenticity of host communities, and providing socio-economic benefits to all stakeholders provide for a cleaner environment, stronger economy, higher quality of life for residents and an enhanced experience for visitors. The goal of the Sustainable Tourism Lab is to spread the word and assist stakeholders with making the most of their tourism planning, programming and educational efforts.

The Sustainable Tourism Laboratory is an award winning consulting and educational business created to assist communities and others with shaping tourism development programs with internationally practiced tourism planning strategies.  Sponsored by the Rhode Island's Blackstone Valley Tourism Council, lab programs are based on the Council's  experience in transforming Rhode Island's Blackstone Valley from a non-existent tourist destination to one of the leading tourism destinations in the northeast that has contributed greatly to the state and region's culture, quality of life, and economic development.

After 20 years of developing and revitalizing tourism in America’s Industrial Birthplace, the Tourism Council decided to share the lessons learned from this difficult post-industrialized landscape. A distinct business was created for the purposes of sharing and educating communities about tourism development. Since our inception in 1985, enlightened principles of development, now defined as sustainable, have been the hallmark of our destination stewardship efforts for the Blackstone River Valley. Our main focus is to continuously enhance and sustain our destination for the greatest economic return without compromising the standard and quality of life of our residents.

The Lab offers a wide range of programs and services to government and private sector agencies, and tourism and planning professionals, targeted to various needs and budgets.  We have received several awards for our efforts, and  become highly skilled at developing programs and projects on limited budgets -- understanding how to do more with less.

Why a Sustainable Tourism Laboratory?

While awareness of the concept of proper tourism planning is spreading, it still eludes many government agencies, destination management organizations, tourism organization leaders and their stakeholders.  There are some who recognize the need, but aren't sure how to get there.

The purpose of the Lab is to educate government leaders, tourism leaders, and policy makers about the need to incorporate sustainable tourism principles into their planning process, and provide them with the tools to best accomplish that. We offer a combination of educational and consulting programs that provide the most cost-effective solutions for their needs and budgets. 

Tourism can have positive and negative effects on communities.  To maximize positives and minimize the negatives, tourism planning must involve participation of all stakeholders to be successful.  The Laboratory will prepare current and future leaders in the disciplines, policies and procedures necessary to build and shape a successful tourism destination.

Lab philosophy

By gathering people with dreams and a need to thrive, the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council learned that leadership emerges; corporate social responsibility is manifest; visions and destinies become articulated and shared; people pull together; and, the process of re-building gets a head start. Whether at a conscious or subconscious level, the Tourism Council’s pursuit of relationship-building remains the essential ingredient for long-term success in building strengths-based organizations and communities. Build rapport, win people’s brains, and their hearts will follow.

Through our educational and consulting services, our goal is to assist clients develop responsible, enlightened, wisely managed tourism that sustains and enhances the geographical character, environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage and integrity by:

• Balancing economic benefits of tourism with preservation of the environmental, historical and cultural heritage

• Creating high-quality, high-powered educational and recreational experiences for visitors

• Encouraging the philosophies of whole-community planning to achieve sustainable tourism

• Adhering to United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Sustainable Tourism Principles

• Embedding National Geographic Society Geotourism Planning Principles

• Implementing Responsible Tourism activities that synchronize with the Community's Values

• Using Civic Tourism Guidelines in community planning

When it comes to assisting with developing strategic plans, we believe in both building a strategy of goals, and delivering a plan that can be implemented. A strategy without implementation is a plan gathering dust on a shelf.  In addition, we believe in customizing plans and programs based on specific needs and budgets. For this reason, the Lab insists on developing a strategic plan that is actionable.

Lab Programs and Services

The Lab offers a wide range of services that deal with educating clients about the use of sustainable tourism principles and consulting clients on the development of strategic, tourism and other plans using sustainable tourism and other principles that made the Blackstone Valley experience such a success.  More | Prior Conferences & Workshops | Programs Offered

Lab Experience

Our main client - The Blackstone River Valley...

The team at the Sustainable Tourism Planning and Development Lab  has spent the last twenty years developing a tourism industry in one of America’s most unlikely places: The Blackstone River Valley of Rhode Island. Despite a drastically depressed local economy and a vanishing manufacturing industry, the Lab has been successful at growing tourism into a vital market through its comparative advantages. A place that few would have once thought of as a ‘destination’ is now home to popular tours, museums, and culturally relevant attractions. The Blackstone Valley visitor appeal was strengthened when it was declared a National Heritage Corridor by the National Park Service in 1986 - a project advocated by the Tourism Council.

In addition to its Blackstone Valley projects, over the past 6 years, the Lab has conducted or participated in more than 20 forums and workshops.

View Specific Project Experiences

Lab Team

The Sustainable Tourism Lab team consists of staff members and consultants with decades of experience developing tourism programs that include an emphasis on sustainable tourism principles. The Lab is directed by the experienced leadership of Robert Billington, founder in 1985 of the not-for-profit Blackstone Valley Tourism Council, which is the managing agency for tourism development in 9 communities of Northern Rhode Island. The Council develops historic, cultural, natural, agricultural and commercial resources using sustainable, resilient, whole place-making strategies. In June of 2006, the Council was awarded the Ulysses Prize from the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). In addition, the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council earned the UNWTO’s S.best Certification in Tourism Governance. Billington developed the Sustainable Tourism Planning and Development Laboratory to assist communities in tourism planning needs. He is an Adjunct Professor at the Boston University Graduate School, Johnson and Wales University and is the Leisure Services Management Curriculum coordinator at Bristol Community College in Massachusetts.

View Team Members

Who should use the Lab?

Potential clients include the following:

• Community planners

• City, town, state and other government leaders

• Tourism councils, convention and visitor bureaus,  chambers of commerce staffs and boards of directors

• Destination managers

• Planning board members

• Community opinion shapers interested in developing tourism

• Tourism entrepreneurs

Where are lab services provided?

Lab programs can be conducted anywhere throughout the world.

Lab Awards

The Blackstone Valley Tourism Council has won a number of local and international awards for their efforts at promoting and developing tourism programs in the Blackstone Valley region. International and local awards include:

• UNWTO.Sbest Certifcation of Excellence - United Nations World Tourism Organization

• North American Travel Personality of the Year - World Travel Awards - Sept. 2008

• Tourism for Tomorrow Destination Award - World Travel & Tourism Council - April 2008

• Tom Roberts Prize for Creative Achievement - RI Council for the Humanities - October 2008

• Mary Brennan "Stars of the Industry" Tourism Award by Rhode Island Hospitality Association - December 8, 2008

• Heritage Award - Pawtucket Foundation - April 2008

Awards & Testimonials

How can clients use lab services?

Contact the Laboratory staff at 401-724-2200 or complete the contact us form. We will contact you within 48 hours.