Travel Beyond

Welcome to Think Revelstoke, a season about the future of a town and the future of tourism.What choices lie ahead for tourism destinations? Subscribe to find out as hosts Robyn Goldsmith of Tourism Revelstoke, and Rodney Payne of Destination Think, speak to local residents and renowned experts to unpack today’s greatest tourism challenges.

Tourism in Revelstoke, BC is booming. As the community plans for a thriving future, what challenges lie ahead for residents and the tourism industry? Destination Canada’s CEO, Marsha Walden, shares her organization’s perspective on the potential for tourism to impact people and places for the better – if we find our “true north.” Our hosts are Robyn Goldsmith, Destination & Sustainability Manager at Tourism Revelstoke, and Rodney Payne, CEO at Destination Think.

Revelstoke is a unique place, but its tourism challenges are not. What can the BC city learn from popular ski destinations like Vail, Aspen, and others where tourism has already grown for decades? We speak with Cathy Ritter, formerly the CEO of the Colorado Tourism Office, to find out.  Our hosts are Robyn Goldsmith, Destination & Sustainability Manager at Tourism Revelstoke, and Rodney Payne, CEO at Destination Think.

These two residents know what makes Revelstoke tick. We interview Rosetta Bernava, a long-time early childhood educator at Red Wagon Preschool, who tells us how the city has changed during her career and what tourism’s impact has been. Taha Attiah, Community Development Coordinator at the City of Revelstoke, describes tourism’s effect on affordability and housing, which are among the community’s most critical issues today. Our hosts are Robyn Goldsmith, Destination & Sustainability Manager at Tourism Revelstoke, and Rodney Payne, CEO at Destination Think.

How can tourism support truth and reconciliation in Canada? We speak with Chief Frank Antoine of Bonaparte First Nation about his vision for a united future. He describes the potential for cultural exchange through tourism as Indigenous inclusion and participation in the industry increases. Frank invites us all on the learning journey.  Our hosts are Robyn Goldsmith, Destination & Sustainability Manager at Tourism Revelstoke, and Rodney Payne, CEO at Destination Think.

The climate crisis brings increasing risks to communities, but few people grasp the scale of the changes we’re living through. Journalist and climate futurist Alex Steffen is one of them. He talks to us about the “snap forward”, decarbonisation, the carbon bubble, ruggedization, best- and worst-case scenarios, and today’s opportunities for the places courageous enough to move first.Our hosts are Robyn Goldsmith, Destination & Sustainability Manager at Tourism Revelstoke, and Rodney Payne, CEO at Destination Think.

Destination planning isn’t complete without emergency management. What should tourism destinations anticipate over the next 50 years? How well can we forecast fire seasons? Dr. Mike Flannigan is a BC-based wildfire and emergency management expert who tells us about some of the risks to Revelstoke along with advice for other places preparing for the possibility of climate-fuelled emergencies. Our hosts are Robyn Goldsmith, Destination & Sustainability Manager at Tourism Revelstoke, and Rodney Payne, CEO at Destination Think.

Our hosts ask two residents about the industry’s many impacts on the people who choose Revelstoke as their home and the possibilities it opens for the future. Miriam Manley, formerly of Arts Revelstoke and currently the Executive Director of the BC Touring Council, shares how the small city has become a “microcosm” of urban life. Local restauranteur and hotelier Stephen Jenkins tells us why he thinks the destination management process is vital to protecting the soul of the city he fell in love with.Our hosts are Robyn Goldsmith, Destination & Sustainability Manager at Tourism Revelstoke, and Rodney Payne, CEO at Destination Think.

This small, mountainous nation between India and China has been proactively managing visitor numbers since the 1970s. Damcho Rinzin of the Tourism Council of Bhutan joins us to share some of the principles Bhutan has used to shape its tourism industry, along with some recent changes to protect local ways of life and the environment. There are lessons here for every place seeking a holistic benefit from tourism.Our hosts are Robyn Goldsmith, Destination & Sustainability Manager at Tourism Revelstoke, and Rodney Payne, CEO at Destination Think.