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October 8, 2010: Do Chains Help (or Hurt) the Travel Experience
In the age of Anywhere, USA, the strip mall, hotel chains and box-store-induced phenomena that make one town nearly indistinguishable from the next make it seem as if the authentic travel experience is going the way of the dinosaurs. More and more, hitting the road for a vacation in a distant location means being faced with the same hotel chains and familiar restaurants that you find in your own backyard half a country -- even half a world -- away.  More

October 6, 2010: Going Green: ASTA Joins Global Sustainable Tourism Council
ASTA reports it has joined The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), an international partnership dedicated to promoting sustainable tourism practices around the world. Founded in partnership by the World Tourism Organization, the United Nations Environment Programme, UN Foundation, Rainforest Alliance, Sabre/Travelocity and others, the GSTC is open to any member of the travel and tourism industries.  More

October 4, 2010: The World Centre of Excellence for Destination joins GSTC (Travel Daily News)
The World Centre of Excellence for Destinations (CED) announced that it has joined The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), an international partnership dedicated to promoting sustainable tourism practices around the world. Founded in partnership by the World Tourism Organization, the United Nations Environment Programme, UN Foundation, Rainforest Alliance, Sabre/Travelocity and others, the GSTC is open to any member of the travel and tourism industries. More

Arista Award Winners Worcester Canal District Wagon Tours – Evaluation was the winner.  Download Info

September 29, 2010: The Mexico Tourism Board Joins Global Sustainable Tourism Council
The Mexico Tourism Board announced today it has joined The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), an international partnership dedicated to promoting sustainable tourism practices around the world. Founded in partnership by the World Tourism Organization, the United Nations Environment Programme, UN Foundation, Rainforest Alliance, Sabre/Travelocity and others, the GSTC is open to any member of the travel and tourism industries.  More

September 23, 2010: New England EPA chief urges including rainwater runoff in road construction design (Providence Journal) PAWTUCKET — The cliché image of an environmentalist may be some tree hugger out in the woods, but New England’s top federal environmental official, former Save The Bay chief H. Curtis Spalding, said these days, the real action may be in the region’s cities. Speaking at the Blackstone River Users Conference Wednesday, Spalding said coming up with new ways of building roads and parking lots to protect rivers from contamination by runoff and improving watersheds’ ability to absorb rains such as those last spring were becoming an increasingly high priority for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. More

June 3, 2010: Sustainable Tourism Editorial (Providence Journal) There are some things about Rhode Island that Rhode Islanders might love but that outsiders might crinkle their noses at. Take, for example, Haven Bros. Diner outside Providence City Hall. People love old-fashioned diners — what some might call a “greasy spoon.” Imagine a national or global publicity video to bring tourists to Rhode Island: There’s a wide shot of City Hall on a blustery winter night and the camera zooms in on the line of chilly and diverse characters, waiting for hot wieners “all the way.” (Apologies to New York System, another mysterious Rhode Island institution.) How many tourists would that image reel in? “Sustainable tourism is not only about protecting our land and our environment,” says the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council’s president, Robert Billington, “but our lifestyle and our cultures. [It is] about helping tourism grow, but not at the expense of a community or its residents.” More

Sustainable Tourism Planning and Development Laboratory offers cash prize for Sustainable Tourism efforts  The Sustainable Tourism Planning and Development Laboratory presents the ARISTA for notable achievement in Sustainable Tourism. The ARISTA will be presented once again to one organization in each of three geographic areas: Rhode Island, New England and USA. This prize will be awarded in September of 2010 to an agency, non-governmental organization or business for its project or program demonstrating the implementation of sustainable tourism practices.  See 2011 info | Download Winner Info

Future of Sustainable Tourism in Rhode Island Final Conference Report  More

World Travel and Tourism Council Blueprint for New Tourism More

World Travel and Tourism: Leading the Challenge on Climate Change More

A supporting document to the September 2009 Resilient Futures Network Report on the October 2005 Blackstone River Flood Word | PDF

Blackstone Alert 2009 Final Report  More

July 10 - New York Times - Escapes American Journeys - Where ‘Made in America’ Made Its Debut  More

Newport Collaborative Architects and Fort Adams Trust Receive Sustainable Tourism (Arista) Award Providence Business News

Nov. 11, 2009: Cape Cod Times: Cape ranked in the middle More

The practical application of sustainable tourism development principles: A case study of creating innovative place-making tourism strategies - Robert D Billington, Natalie Carter and Lilly Kayamba - More

Educational Travel Community: The Sustainable Tourism Lab Volunteer with the Broad Street Heritage Project Wed., Feb. 3, 2010, 7:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. More

Feb. 2, 2010: Geotourism 2009 Challenge Awards Announced  More

2009 World Travel Award Profiles - Bob Billington More

Jan. 28, 2010: Providence Business News: Sustainability gets boost at conference -- State officials looking to expand tourism with new focus The new mantra in the world of tourism is sustainability. Sustainable tourism is not a trend, but an economic imperative – and it’s a profitable business strategy, according to a tourism expert... More | Channel 10 Info

Jan 7, 2010: Providence Journal: Workshop to focus on building ‘sustainable’ tourism A convention, concert or other special event might attract tourists to Rhode Island, but what they end up remembering most about their visit is likely to be something humbly local.  More

Nov. 11, 2009: Cape Cod Times: Cape ranked in the middle Lackluster public transportation, declining environmental quality and overwhelming summer crowds were among the factors that landed Cape Cod in the middle of the pack in a new ranking of 133 iconic travel destinations by National Geographic Traveler magazine. But local tourism officials are not onboard with the magazine's conclusions. More

Newport Collaborative Architects (NCA) and the Fort Adams Trust received the 2009 Achievement in Rhode Island Sustainable Tourism Award last week from the Sustainable Tourism Planning and Development Laboratory of the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council.  More | Providence Business News

The practical application of sustainable tourism development principles: A case study of creating innovative place-making tourism strategies - Robert D Billington, Natalie Carter and Lilly Kayamba - Abstract: The Blackstone Valley is working to create a sustainable, resilient, visitor destination using whole place-making techniques. The Blackstone Valley Tourism Council applies leadership and commitment to innovative sustainable geotourism principles. The Tourism Council fulfills the vision of sustainable tourism through its Sustainable Tourism Planning and Development Laboratory (STPDL). The Laboratory's purpose is to share the Tourism Council's experience in developing planned sustainable tourism with tourism leaders and community stakeholders seeking to develop viable destinations. The STPDL presents a learning initiative that prepares decision makers and shapers to thoughtfully develop and regenerate their communities using sustainable tourism principles. In the formation of the Laboratory mission, certain sustainable tourism development issues stood out as significant and needing prompt attention by practitioners. In response, the Laboratory has developed and continues to develop a series of robust symposiums, conferences, and programmes to link the Laboratory's work to the thirst for sound tourism development knowledge. More

September 28, 2009 Blackstone Alert Final Report presented to the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council by the Resilient Futures Network More

Pawtucket Times-July 17, 2009 KeepSpace aims to foster a stronger community PAWTUCKET — With its focus on looking at Pawtucket and Central Falls as one big neighborhood that can benefit from improvements, the first meeting of a new think tank group known as KeepSpace was held at the Blackstone Valley Visitors Center on Wednesday morning. Founded by Rhode Island Housing, the KeepSpace initiative seeks to foster broad-based, respectful partnerships among residents, local businesses, non-profit organizations and municipal and state agencies for the betterment and preservation of neighborhoods. Pawtucket/Central Falls is one of four such KeepSpace communities that have been chosen to be part of the initiative in Rhode Island. The other three are Cranston, Olneyville and downtown Westerly. Rhode Island Housing has allocated up to $10 million to help fund the development of the first KeepSpace communities.  More

Grants Effectiveness: Rhode Island  Twenty of Rhode Island’s 39 cities and towns have been designated as Preserve America Communities, and more than half of those have received the benefits of Preserve America Grants. More

July, 2009 - Tourism for Tomorrow 2009 Awards Announced More

June 15, 2009 - GreenBiz U.S. Mayors to Support Global Guidelines for Sustainable Tourism PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The U.S. Conference of Mayors has agreed to support global guidelines for sustainable tourism and will urge its member cities to adopt the criteria developed by a coalition of organizations that includes the United Nations Environment Programme, the United Nations Foundation and the United Nations World Tourism Organization. More

May 15, 2009 - Providence Journal Blackstone Valley looks at ways to lure tourists PAWTUCKET — When people think of Rhode Island as a destination, the cities of Providence and Newport definitely come to mind, but how many people think about visiting the Blackstone Valley? The area north of Providence includes Cumberland, Central Falls, Smithfield, Woonsocket and Pawtucket — considered the birthplace of the industrial revolution, where Old Slater Mill, the first water-powered cotton-spinning mill in America, was built in 1793. More

WINNER:  September, 2008 Billington wins award. Evening Times article | Woonsocket Call | More
Tourism Chief Nominated for World Travel Award Dr. Robert Billington, President of the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council has been nominated as a finalist for the World Travel Awards - North American Travel Personality of the Year. Billington was chosen as one of three finalists for his achievements in the travel and tourism industry. He is competing for the award with two other finalists who are: Jay Rasulo, Chairman of Walt Disney Parks & Resorts; and Cheryl Hudak, President of the 20,000 member American Society of Travel Agencies (ASTA). 

May 6, 2008 Speaker says Cedar Rapids riverfront should focus on local interests By Rick Smith The Gazette
CEDAR RAPIDS — Local elected officials got some coaching Monday about their ambitious hopes for the Cedar River, a RiverWalk and riverfront development along it. Lesson one: Make the river and the area around it into a special place for those who live in Cedar Rapids and Linn County first, and worry about turning it into a destination spot for tourists later, Robert Billington, president of the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council, Pawtucket, R.I., told a joint meeting on Monday of the Cedar Rapids City Council and the Linn County Board of Supervisors. 

May 5, 2008 Tourism Cares Awards $10,000 Grant to Blackstone Valley
Tourism Cares, a non-profit group dedicated to promoting responsible tourism within the tourism industry, awarded $10,000 to the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council's Sustainable Tourism Planning and Development Laboratory to help fund its second civic tourism conference. More

April 22 - 29, 2008 Council wins Tourism for Tomorrow Destination Award  Think 'tourism destination' and the image that comes to mind is not likely to be a place known for its polluted rivers, abandoned businesses, high unemployment and disenfranchised local communities. Yet, that is exactly what the Blackstone River Valley was when local community members launched the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council (BVTC) in 1985. Their goal was to revitalize the nine communities along the Blackstone River Valley in Rhode Island that formed the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution and then ultimately became a victim of it when the Blackstone became the first polluted river in the Western Hemisphere and its industrial economy collapsed. Working with a wide range of multi-stakeholders, BVTC has shown that tourism can play a key role in helping to revitalize a downtrodden economy and bring back a river once declared "dead" to the benefit of local people, business, and nature. Through a destination stewardship approach to tourism development, including the preservation of the area's natural, cultural and historical heritage, BVTC has succeeded in uniting a community and awakening it to its new economic potential. With innovative projects like the Sustainable Tourism Development and Planning Laboratory, the Council continues to grow and enhance its many offerings, while sharing the lessons it has learned with other tourism destinations. More | Providence Business News Story | Travel Mole Interview with Bob Billington | Tourism for Tomorrow Website

01/25/2008 (Providence Journal) New Concept of Tourism Presented by Peter Lord - Consider two extremes of tourism: In Tombstone, Ariz., 1,100 residents host some 600,000 visitors a year who stay an average of two hours and spend just $8 each. More

National Geographic - Billington featured as part of National Geographic Geotourism Challenge  Bob Billington has lived most of his life in the Blackstone River Valley of Rhode Island, where his family owned a manufacturing business on the banks of the Blackstone River. In the 1980s, facing a recession and the need to save the family business, Billington organized 14 other manufacturers in the Blackstone Valley to cooperate and sell their products directly to the public.
Billington Profile | Challenge Info

10/17/2007 (Forbes) Rhode Island No. 8 in Greenest States 

10/22/2007 (Providence Business News) Creating ‘places,’ not tourist traps By William Hamilton
As a tourism industry leader, Robert Billington should be concerned about attracting visitors and their dollars to his region in northern Rhode Island. But right now, he’s not worried about it too More

10/26/2007 (Providence Journal) Place-making’ forum focuses on local flavor - Policymakers, city planners and tourism officials from Rhode Island and neighboring Connecticut and Massachusetts gathered downtown yesterday for a forum on “place-making” sponsored by the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council.  More

Geotourism Initiative Puts the Focus on Sustainable Tourism - It was only fitting that Governor Carcieri signed the state's Geotourism Charter May 16, right in the middle of 2007 National Tourism Week More

July 4, 2007 (ehotelier.com) Int'l Think Tank on Sustainable Tourism hosted by School of Hotel & Restaurant Management - This summer, at NAU's School of Hotel & Restaurant Management, three dozen tourism scholars and practitioners assembled to explore the dynamics of sustainability and tourism and develop a cutting edge research agenda. The BEST Education Network's (BEST EN) seventh annual Think Tank convened from June 21-24.  More

UNWTO.ULYSSES Conference and Prize Ceremony Blackstone Valley Tourism Council - USA Honored "In recognition of their pioneer activities in using tourism as a tool for development and for their contribution to a positive change with regards to community values in Rhode Island over the past 20 years". (Innovation in Tourism Destination Management) More 

Spring 2007 (Cultural Tourism Heritage News) Blackstone River Valley Shares Success with Others: Twenty-two years ago, the Blackstone Valley in Massachusetts and Rhode Island suffered from poverty, pollution and neglect and would hardly have been considered a tourism destination. Thanks to the dedicated efforts of talented local visionaries, today this region is one of the nation’s most successful National Heritage Areas showcasing America’s first industrial landscape. Building on more than two decades of hard-earned experience, the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council has recently developed a 5-day Sustainable Tourism Development Laboratory to help other communities design thoughtful tourism planning and development strategies.  More

05/21/2007 (Providence Business News) Geotourism’ pledge puts R.I. people, heritage first by Marion Davis, PBN Managing Editor - Jonathan Tourtellot drove home the meaning of “geotourism” with a slideshow. Accompanied by a voiceover of a woman saying how much she’d loved a recent trip to Rhode Island, the pictures showed More

05/07/2007 (Providence Business News) Event highlights benefits of ‘green’ tourism efforts by David Ortiz - A CRANE drops the Blackstone Valley Explorer in the water in Central Falls. The boat is used for tours highlighting the region's history and natural beauty. More

4/27/2007 (Providence Journal) Symposium takes tourism for a turn toward green - How can the tourism industry be environmentally friendly when it promotes destinations reachable only by greenhouse-gas emitting cars and airplanes? More

04/25/2007 (Evening Times) Expert panelists to tackle 'green' tourism - Al Gore and friends may have won the Oscar, but when it comes to leadership in the "green" tourism movement, you don't have to look farther than your back yard and the decades of dedicated efforts by the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council. More

Could the Blackstone River Once Again Fuel the Valley's Economy? -- Sustainable Tourism Summit Examines Improving the Blackstone Valley Regional Economy While Preserving the Area's Natural and Historic Attractions

Summit Suggests Rhode Island Could Create a National Economic Model by Tapping its Natural, Historic and Cultural Resources

"The Blackstone Valley Tourism Council brought in leading thinkers on tourism development for the conference and spent the day brainstorming ways to find long-term success in improving the regional economy while preserving the area's natural and historic attractions. Bob Billington, Council Executive Director, explained the goal was to get the participants thinking about "how do we develop tourism in the Blackstone Valley and make it grow wisely, how do we develop it in a way residents will appreciate and how do we develop it in ways that will make business want to locate here." To Billington, creating sustainable tourism in the area means preserving the natural and historic features of the Blackstone Valley so those resources will continue to be enjoyed by the people who live here for generations to come. 'Tourism should be about the quality of life in a livable community,' he said." 

Sustainable Tourism Summit Examines Improving the Blackstone Valley Regional Economy While Preserving the Area's Natural and Historic Attractions - Woonsocket Call

UNWTO Ulysses Prizes to Innovation in Tourism will be granted to Professor David Airey (UK), Blackstone Valley Tourism Council (USA) and Accor (Sofitel, Novotel…) More | Acceptance Speech | UNWTO News

BEST Education Network Think Tank VI: Corporate Social Responsibility for Sustainable Tourism - University of Girona, Spain, 2006 Press Releases More | Read Full Paper | Download PDF Format

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