Ever travel to Timbuktu for a haircut? Have you been to the top of Mount Ararat in eastern Turkey? Rick Antonson has. The former President and CEO of Tourism Vancouver is one of the most accomplished tourism executives in the world, having played a major role in the success of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, and having helped lead numerous international bodies, including chairing Destination Marketing Association International. It’s why Rick’s received Queen Elizabeth the II’s Diamond Jubilee Medal and was inducted into the Canadian Tourism Hall of Fame (yes, that’s a thing). But Rick knows about more than the tourism industry. Having travelled to almost every country on the planet, Rick is an accomplished storyteller – authoring numerous books that take readers to far-flung corners of the world, delving into the debates at the intersection of culture, travel and, yes, the environment.
We asked Rick to share with us why tourism can be a force for good, a catalyst for good storytelling and a tool to help protect biodiversity – oh, and why we all need to embrace Cathedral Thinking.
What do you think?
- What did you learn from Rick’s story?
- Do you believe tourism is a force for good?
- If tourism is the world’s fastest growing industry, should we place a higher value on protecting nature for the sake of the economy?
- Do we need eco-tourism to save nature? Or is the better question: can nature survive tourism?
- What does being a good steward look like to you?
- How can storytelling help us address the challenges we face in our society?
- How will you apply Cathedral Thinking to your project and to your life?
More on Rick
Watch Rick’s Tedx Stanely Park talk: Cathedral Thinking
Favourite Book: Whichever one I’m currently spending time with, which right now means Bushrunner by Mark Bourrie, The Adventures of Pierre-Esprit Radisson
