(Concept & Development Underway)
A message from Ralf Garrison - Fall, 2022:
"The Covid Pandemic, immediately followed by resent economic geo-political strife, has been a global disruption and threat to secure personal and economic well-being beyond anything I’ve ever experienced or even imagined. And, while the travel industry is among those market segments most dramatically impacted, it’s also becoming increasingly clear that the leisure travel segment–and particularly those rural resort towns who feature an outdoor lifestyle and inherent sense of health and wellbeing–presents something of a perceived safe-haven to more crowded, urban domiciles, and with it an emerging set of unintended and potentially widely disparate consequences. While challenges are numerous, the metaphorical "glass" looks half -full to some, half-empty to others, who see only lemons, while others more optimistic and better positioned are making lemonade."
Well versed, established and positioned, I assembled a gaggle of some of the industry's best thinkers and launched a post-pandemic travel economy think tank, which has taken a life of its own, recently formalized as a Colorado non-profit corporation and has now established it's own platform from which our collective resources are now being offered toward the greater good.
For more about the founding vision of The Insights Collective visit: www.theinsightscollective.com
Our experiences as collectivists, brought with it challenges, opportunities, and prompted an evolution in my personal goals toward that of a social enterprise, specifically targeted on resort communities who are ready and able to shift toward a new paradigm for tourism economics, its related infrastructure, and a broader constituency than heretofore.
Tourism is not just about the tourists, but, when viewed from the perspective of local residents and stakeholders, is about an economic, organizational and infrastructure with the common goal of creating a sustainable lifestyle for residents and visitors alike.
While evidence-based strategic planning for destination resorts is a foundation of my life’s work, I intend to establish and refine this social enterprise structure, both as a platform for public/private collaboration and an opportunity to give back to and industry that has been rewarding to me both personally and professionally
I welcome the company of others with similar interests and objectives; together, we can achieve more than any of us, individually.
There You Have It!
Social Enterprise:
…..” an organization that applies commercial strategies to make a positive difference for social benefit.
The social impact is funded wholly or partly by reinvesting profits made by the organization to create social capital “
-Wikipedia