Latest news with #DisruptForChange
Travel Weekly
6 days ago
- Business
- Travel Weekly
Brand USA funding cut is a red flag: Impact storytelling matters more than ever
The slashing of Brand USA's budget by 80% is a red flag that the travel and tourism industry cannot afford to ignore. It raises a deeper question: Who's telling the story of your destination — and whose stories are policymakers listening to? When federal and state legislators make decisions that defund destination marketing or divert hotel bed tax revenue to other "community-focused" projects, it's often because the true impact of tourism — especially on local economies and underrepresented communities — isn't being told well or at all. Stephanie Jones is founder and CEO of Disrupt for Change and the Diversity Tourism Academy. Glamorous marketing campaigns and record-breaking visitor arrivals may grab headlines, but they rarely resonate with policymakers who are tasked with stewarding public dollars. What does resonate? Economic impact. Community impact. Stories of real businesses and neighborhoods that have directly benefited from tourism investment. But here's the hard truth: If your destination has not been intentional about integrating underrepresented small suppliers and communities into your tourism ecosystem, you will not have these stories to tell when it matters most. Policymakers want to know: • Who benefits when tourism dollars flow into a city or region? • Are those benefits reaching beyond hotel chains, attractions and big-name operators? • Is tourism helping to scale, sustain and create profitability for small businesses and local communities? If your destination cannot confidently point to Black-owned tour operators, local artisan shops, cultural museums and underrepresented entrepreneurs who can say, "Tourism helped grow my business," then you are missing a critical piece of your inclusive tourism and advocacy strategy. This is why the gutting of Brand USA's funding is so telling. It's not just about federal cuts. It's a symptom of a broader disconnect between tourism's perceived glamour and its measurable, equitable economic contribution. When decision-makers don't see how tourism investment creates tangible value across all parts of a destination, they deprioritize it. They reallocate funds. And they look elsewhere for ROI. For too long, many destinations have approached community engagement as a box to check — tokenism dressed up as outreach. But performative gestures don't build trust, visibility or economic impact. They certainly don't build advocacy allies when your budget is on the chopping block. What's needed now is a shift toward equity alignment and intentional ecosystem building. That means: • Integrating underrepresented small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and cultural institutions into local tourism supply chains • Equipping these businesses with the tools, training and visibility to compete • Helping them develop case studies and impact stories that can be shared with stakeholders and policymakers alike This isn't charity — it's strategy. Ask yourself: • Can you confidently point to 10 small businesses or cultural attractions that are better off today because of your tourism strategy? • Can you call on them tomorrow to speak on your behalf to a city council or congressional committee about tourism's impact on their livelihood? • Are they ready and empowered to help you defend your budget -- not out of obligation, but because they have benefited directly from your leadership? If the answer is no, that's a red flag — not just for your marketing efforts, but for your long-term sustainability and political leverage. The Brand USA cuts aren't just about a federal marketing budget. They are a signal to the entire industry. When tourism isn't seen as creating shared prosperity, it loses its legitimacy as a public investment. Destinations that fail to prioritize inclusive economic development will continue to be vulnerable to defunding and disinvestment. Here is my call to action: Build now so you don't have to scramble later. I have seen though my businesses that DMOs and tourism boards can move from talk to transformation by: • Identifying and engaging underrepresented SMEs and cultural institutions • Delivering culturally relevant, industry-specific training to make them tourism market-ready • Equipping them to share truth-telling stories about how tourism has impacted their businesses and communities When these businesses are fully integrated into your tourism economy, you don't have to manufacture impact stories — you already have them. And when legislators question the value of tourism funding, you have local voices who can speak powerfully and authentically about how those dollars made a difference. Will you be proactive or reactive? The choice is yours. Continue to operate in silos and react when funding is threatened. Or act now to build a tourism ecosystem that is inclusive, resilient and politically defensible because its impact is clear, measurable and backed by real voices. Is your destination ready to move from performative to purposeful? Let's co-create an ecosystem where every stakeholder — especially those traditionally excluded — can benefit and advocate for tourism's rightful place in our economic future. ___________________________________________________________ Travel Weekly accepts opinion pieces on subjects of interest to the travel industry and, most importantly, to travel advisors. Forums should be 550 words and must be exclusive to Travel Weekly; no part of the writing can have been published anywhere else. Forums must not be self-promotional and should be submitted with the understanding that Travel Weekly reserves the right to edit the content for length, style, spelling, clarity, structure, etc. Submissions, along with a high-resolution headshot and a short bio, should be emailed to editor in chief Arnie Weissmann and deputy managing editor Gerry Bourbeau.
Travel Weekly
11-06-2025
- Business
- Travel Weekly
Cultural Heritage Economic Alliance, whose focus included DEI efforts in tourism, is shutting down
The Cultural Heritage Economic Alliance, a nonprofit that aimed to promote diversity, equity and inclusion in the travel industry, will shut down at the end of June, according to its founder and CEO, Stephanie Jones. The organization, which was founded in 2020 and focused on educational initiatives, saw its mission evolve after the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers as the travel and tourism industry worked to implement DEI initiatives. Stephanie Jones But with the Trump administration's executive orders that targeted DEI initiatives and threatened partnerships and funding, Jones decided to dismantle the alliance on June 30. Initiatives founded under the alliance, like Blacks in Travel and Tourism and Black Cultural Heritage Tours, will also cease operations at the end of the month. Jones said that a partnership the alliance created with the International Trade Administration was axed after President Trump returned to office this year. Efforts to gain Minority Business Development Agency pilot funding were also impacted by the administration's DEI orders, she said. 'We have been evolving over the past five years and also really looking at the impact we have been able to make,' she said. 'CHEA was formed with DEI in our DNA. … I proposed that this was a good season for CHEA to sunset, so that we don't have to be concerned about not being able to access federal funding.' A new focus Jones has turned her focus to Disrupt for Change, which she said 'is really leaning into working with underrepresented tourism and hospitality, small and micro enterprises, cultural museums … to be able to introduce them to entrepreneurship as a pathway into the industry.' She will serve as CEO and managing director of the organization. Disrupt for Change launched in April. Diversity Tourism Academy, which debuted under the Cultural Heritage Economic Alliance and offers tourism marketing courses, will continue to operate under the new brand. • Cover story: Black influencers who explore and inspire The new initiative will work with small enterprises in the tourism space, like hospitality, museums or cultural institutions, that struggle to market themselves as tourism destinations and face systemic barriers, Jones said. Disrupt for Change will offer educational resources for underrepresented tourism businesses globally. Jones said through the alliance she was already working with small suppliers outside of the U.S. in places like the Caribbean, Africa and Europe. Disrupt for Change is actively seeking partnerships with tourism boards, DMOs and hospitality brands to help broaden access to the travel and tourism industry for small, underrepresented suppliers. 'It makes sense for us to focus on how we can leverage our strategic relationships globally to better help position these businesses that are universally dealing with some of the same challenges,' she said. 'It's important that there is an entity that represents the interests of smaller suppliers and that is leveraging all of its resources to help these businesses become better positioned in the industry to make money.'
