Writings
Essays on tourism, travel & strategy.
Written for practitioners working inside complex systems: how places create value, make trade-offs, and navigate the consequences of growth.
Latest · September 18, 2026
The Tourism Investment Preparedness Gap
Why attracting investment starts with understanding what stands in its way, fixing it, and making the opportunity easier to invest in.
ReadAugust 7, 2026
Some Places Simply Keep Calling You Back
For the fourth consecutive summer, my family and I have found ourselves back in Aix-en-Provence. It has become one of those decisions that seems to make itself.
ReadJuly 8, 2026
Beyond Liveability: What the 2026 EIU Rankings Reveal About the Next Evolution of Destination Strategy
The 2026 Global Liveability Index has once again prompted an important discussion about the qualities that define successful cities.
ReadJune 30, 2026
Safety Is Becoming One of the Most Important Conversations in Destination Strategy
An issue that, until relatively recently, would rarely have appeared on the agenda of a destination organization.
ReadJune 10, 2026
The Authenticity Paradox: Why Preserving the Past is Not Enough to Shape the Future of Cities
For much of the past two decades, authenticity has become one of the most influential concepts in destination strategy, placemaking, and urban development.
ReadMay 26, 2026
Building Tourism That Matters: Why This Book Exists
After almost two decades working across tourism, destination strategy, culture, and place development, my book, Tourism That Matters, is now available.
ReadMay 19, 2026
Why Some Places Feel More “You” Than Others
Destination strategy often assumes places can choose who they attract through branding, marketing, and messaging.
ReadMay 7, 2026
What Destinations Can Learn from the DVQ Index
Across the first two pieces, I introduced the DVQ Index 2026 and the framework behind it. The more important question is what the results actually suggest.
ReadMay 6, 2026
What Actually Drives “Vibe”? Inside the DVQ Framework
The results themselves are only one part of the work. The more useful part is the framework underneath them.
ReadMay 5, 2026
The Destination Vibe Quotient (DVQ) Index 2026
A structured attempt to better understand what makes places feel distinct, compelling, and culturally alive.
ReadMarch 15, 2026
The Destination Vibe Quotient: Why Cities Now Compete on Vibe
A few years ago I was walking through the Medina in Marrakech with a group of friends on a sunny afternoon…
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