Join us at the
2025 NYS Tourism Conference, April 23, as
Sara Meaney, Managing Partner at
Destination Wayfinder, takes the stage to share insights on
Navigating Your Destination Stewardship Journey. Don't miss this opportunity to gain expert guidance on shaping the future of sustainable tourism in your community!
When it comes to advancing destination stewardship, no two journeys are the same. While differing geographies, attractions, histories, values and visitor mixes will require their own tailored solutions, the capabilities and understanding needed to develop those solutions are universal. In this engaging session, explore a shared definition and framework for destination stewardship and uncover practical ways destination organizations can move from understanding to impactful application.
Why you should attend this session:
- Discover a global framework for destination stewardship aligned with the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) destination criteria and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
- Explore practical ways to both implement and advance destination stewardship strategies within your destination.
- Learn about the Wayfinder—innovative technology bringing clarity, organization and momentum to destination organizations navigating their stewardship journey.
Key takeaways:
- Gain clarity on what destination stewardship is, where to start and what best practice looks like for the travel and tourism industry.
- Explore why and how building capability within your own organization can advance stewardship strategies and achieve long-term, sustainable outcomes for your destination and its communities.
Why destination stewardship? The future of travel does not exist without understanding what makes a place not only great to visit, but to live. In a world where the only constant is change, how do we ensure that the destinations we represent, reside in and travel to are equipped to build vibrant and flourishing communities for generations to come
The answer lies in the industry’s transformative shift from destination marketing and management to destination stewardship. Taking a holistic, multi-stakeholder approach to a destination’s strategic planning and implementation, destination stewardship is aimed at improving the quality of all life—inclusive of humans and the natural habitats that surround us.
Crafted by the tourism industry’s thought leaders and subject matter experts, we’ve defined destination stewardship as: the continuous pursuit of a net positive tourism ecosystem that exists in alignment with shared community values.
Destination stewardship is supported by four guiding principles that support destination organization decision-making while balancing the needs of residents and visitors alike. These principles include: economic prosperity; protection and respect for culture and heritage; social well-being; and environmental preservation and ecological balance.
Sara possesses nearly 30 years of experience leading strategy and solving organizational challenges to her work as Managing Partner of national strategic consulting firm, Coraggio Group, and sister company, Wayfinder.
Most recently Sara served as Secretary of Tourism for the State of Wisconsin. As a member of Governor Tony Evers' Cabinet, she led the state’s third largest industry with an economic impact of $22.2 billion, sustaining over 202,000 jobs, managing a budget of $16+ million. She completed strategic and administrative overhaul of departmental processes and programs to ensure statutory compliance and increase strategic impact. She and the Travel Wisconsin team achieved a research-led realignment of state brand strategy and led the industry to its largest year on record while achieving a 25% increase in return on investment. Sara successfully gained Joint Finance Committee approval for the first state tourism budget increase in over a decade, and approval for funding, staffing, and launch of one of the first Offices of Outdoor Recreation in the Midwest, created to align and convene public, private and governmental entities for greater economic impact and collaboration. She also led the tourism industry through countless pandemic pivots and crisis response, including hands-on advocacy for and new development of a variety of CARES Act funded grant programs, distributing over $200 million for businesses and tourism-adjacent organizations statewide.
Her diverse multi-sector career experience also includes executive leadership and partner/owner roles in several national marketing and advertising agencies, with a particular focus on travel & tourism, outdoor recreation and active lifestyle consumer products, healthcare, and higher education.
She served in marketing and account leadership roles for a publicly traded multi-national firm based in Dublin, Ireland, where she solved complex business challenges for a portfolio of international pharmaceutical, medical device, and consumer health and beauty product manufacturers within the Irish market.
After serving as a board member for six years, she joined the executive leadership team of a nonprofit arts organization as Chief Marketing and Development Officer where she set strategic direction and led all marketing, communications, sales, and philanthropic fund development activities during a year of significant operational transformation, revenue model expansion, and organizational cultural evolution.
As Managing Director of Marketing & Communication for a Denver-based privately held investment and acquisitions firm, Sara developed and rolled out the firm's first corporate branding, marketing and PR/communications strategy, increasing portfolio success through the due diligence of acquisition targets’ brand and marketing strategies and assets, and directing the marketing and communications strategy of acquired companies across a wide variety of industries.
Sara is a proud mom of four kids, an avid lover of the outdoors, world travel, great food, and live music, and she is a volunteer board member of several arts and cultural nonprofits serving her hometown of Milwaukee, WI.
