Our thinking,
out loud.
Notes from the work. Honest takes from the people doing it. Filter by who, what, or when — or just read along.
Top 5 Mistakes Organizations Make in Strategic Planning
Most strategic plans fail quietly, six months after launch. David Naczycz names the five mistakes we see most, and how to avoid them.
AI with Intent: You're Still Swapping Light Bulbs
The organizations redesigning how they work around AI right now will be years ahead of the ones still deciding whether to start. C.A. Clark puts 2026 as the window. This is what acting in that window actually looks like.
AI is already in your organization. The question is who and what's driving it.
A client mentioned almost in passing that two of their team members had been using ChatGPT for months. No policy, no shared workflow, no one leading it. They kept quiet because they weren't sure if it was allowed. That story is not unusual. This one is for every leader who hasn't asked yet.
Strategy Is a Daily Practice
A strategy that doesn't change decisions isn't a strategy. It's a document. Sarah Lechner, Principal at Coraggio Group, has spent years helping organizations make the hard calls that turn plans into reality. This is the framework she uses. Read it, then ask your team the three questions inside.
The real reason strategic plans die at implementation
"A strategic plan is not a document. It's a behavioral commitment. And most organizations move forward on Tuesday as though Monday never happened."
Sara Meaney unpacks why strategic plans fail at implementation — and what a behavioral audit can do about it.
Sports Tourism Is Outgrowing the Way Most DMOs Manage It
Your sports tourism strategy might be managing the wrong things, chasing the wrong events, and leaving the most durable value on the table. Five insights from the Sports ETA Symposium — and a free assessment to see exactly where your organization stands.
The meeting that should have been a decision
You've been in this meeting. The analysis is done. The options have been presented. And yet here you are, staring at a calendar invite for a follow-up meeting about the meeting. This isn't a process problem. It's a decision avoidance problem — and it's costing your organization more than you think.
From Fiji to Phuket: What Eight Months Reveals About the State of Sustainable Tourism
With international arrivals dropping and US tourist spending down $12.5 billion in early 2025, the stakes for sustainable tourism have never been higher. This analysis tracks the shift from aspirational frameworks to hard accountability, examining how legislative pressure and platform changes are forcing a transition from voluntary certification to structural expectation.
AI with Intent: Ethical Strategy for Mission-Driven Organizations
AI is moving fast, but strategy without ethics isn't strategy at all. This article explores what it means to be both pro-AI and deeply committed to human intelligence, and why the most effective AI strategies are values-driven, policy-aware, and grounded in lived expertise.
Why Work Friendships Are Smart Strategy
Discover how Gallup's Q12, Maslow's hierarchy, and real workplace data prove that work friendships drive productivity, retention, and engagement.
Integrating Seasonality Into Strategy: Winter Tourism Growth
For many destinations, "off-peak" months often feel like a hurdle to be cleared. But what if your quietest season became your strongest strategic differentiator?
The Urgent vs. The Important
I don’t know about you, but I love the idea of setting New Year’s Resolutions.
Using AI with Integrity: Guiding Principles for the Travel & Tourism Industry
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming the travel and tourism industry, from personalized trip planning to automated customer service and dynamic pricing. But as adoption accelerates, so do questions about transparency, fairness, and trust.
The Future of Work in Travel & Tourism
Coraggio Group played a key role in shaping this research, contributing strategic insights and workforce transformation expertise. The report offers a rich analysis of employment trends, skill gaps, and future needs across 20 global economies, supported by data, interviews, and best practices from leading Travel & Tourism organizations.
Turning Sustainable Tourism from Aspiration into Action
Destination Forward: Advancing Stewardship in U.S. Tourism Planning is the most comprehensive national study of its kind, analyzing 35 destination stewardship plans across the U.S. Led by the George Washington University International Institute of Tourism Studies in collaboration with Coraggio Group, the report reveals how communities are reimagining tourism to prioritize sustainability, equity, and resident well-being.
Affirming DMO Value Through Effective Constituent Engagement
Constituent engagement, when done consistently, inclusively, and with clear intent, can be a powerful mechanism for navigating these challenges, building trust, and co-creating thriving tourism futures.
The Business Case for Inclusivity in Tourism: Strategies for Success
In today’s tourism landscape, many organizations are reconsidering their approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion due to the politicization of these concepts. However, the business case for inclusivity remains strong, particularly in the tourism industry, where welcoming all travelers is essential.
Nurturing Nature: 4 Tips for Stewarding Destinations through Regenerative Travel
In a world where tourism often leaves a heavy footprint, regenerative travel offers a beacon of hope. By fostering partnerships between governments, businesses, and communities, we can create travel experiences that not only benefit travelers but also revitalize the places they visit.
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Navigating Your Stewardship Journey
From our vantage point of working with hundreds of destination leaders, we see the unprecedented challenges you are facing, including the increasing pressures on destination organizations to respond to social, cultural and environmental challenges within your communities, all while facing funding and political uncertainties.
Destination: Stewardship – A Guide to Action on Climate Change
Travel and tourism are at the front line for both the challenges and solutions of climate change.
We must take action. Now.