Big Sur Sustainable Tourism Destination Stewardship Plan DRAFT FOR REVIEW ONLY June 2020 Prepared by: Beyond Green Travel Table of Contents Acknowledgements............................................................................................. 3 Abbreviations ..................................................................................................... 4 Executive Summary ............................................................................................. 5 About Beyond Green Travel ................................................................................ 9 Introduction ...................................................................................................... 10 Vision and Methodology ................................................................................... 16 History of Tourism in Big Sur ............................................................................. 18 Big Sur Plans: A Legacy to Build On ................................................................... 25 Big Sur Stakeholder Concerns and Survey Results .............................................. 37 The Path Forward: DSP Recommendations ....................................................... 46 Funding the Recommendations ........................................................................ 48 Highway 1 Visitor Traffic Management .............................................................. 56 Rethinking the Big Sur Visitor Attraction Experience ......................................... 59 Where are the Restrooms? ............................................................................... 73 Addressing Trash and Litter Problems ............................................................... 78 Back Country Visitor Monitoring ....................................................................... 81 Visitor Education and Communication ……………………………………………………….….85 Available Community Housing .......................................................................... 89 Accurate Visitor ManagementDRAFT Data .................................................................. 93 Timeline for Implementation ............................................................................ 97 Conclusion ...................................................................................................... 100 Draft Big Sur Sustainable Tourism DSP, p. 1 Appendix A: Stakeholder Consultations ........................................................... A1 Appendix B: Big Sur DSP Website Comments .................................................... B1 Appendix C: Big Sur DSP Resident Survey ......................................................... C1 Appendix D: Case Studies: Slovenia and Destination BC ................................... D1 Appendix E: References .................................................................................... E1 DRAFT Draft Big Sur Sustainable Tourism DSP, p. 2 Acknowledgements It is with respect that this plan acknowledges the Big Sur Coast as being the ancestral home of three groups of indigenous peoples, speakers of the Salinan, Esselen and Ohlone languages. Many individuals throughout Big Sur, including residents and community members, as well as multiple stakeholder agencies and organizations that are active in the Big Sur Land Use area, contributed their time, energy, thoughts, and wisdom to the Destination Stewardship Plan process. Their support is greatly appreciated. A special thank you goes to the Destination Stewardship Plan Steering Committee, who provided invaluable guidance, including reviewing and strengthening the plan’s recommendations. Members of the DSP Steering Committee include: Carissa Chappellet Lawyer and Board President, Big Sur Health Center Kirk Gafill Executive Director, Big Sur Chamber of Commerce and Owner, Nepenthe LaVerne McLeod Author, Community Member and Co-Coordinator of Big Sur Advocates for a Green Environment (B-SAGE) Lee Otter Strategic Advisor, Big Sur Land Use Plan Matt Harris Fire Chief, Big Sur Volunteer Fire Brigade Mike Freed Co-Chair, California Task Force on Destination Stewardship and Owner, Post Ranch Inn Ryne Leuzinger Board Member, Community Association of Big Sur and Senior Assistant Librarian, CSUMB Yuri Anderson Chief ofDRAFT Staff to Supervisor Mary Adams, County of Monterey, District 5 Special appreciation goes to the Community Association of Big Sur and the Monterey Visitor and Convention Bureau for funding the creation of this Plan. The Big Sur Sustainable Tourism Destination Plan was led and written by Beyond Green Travel team members including Costas Christ, President; Sally Christ, Vice President; Nina Boys, Program Manager; and Kate Daniels, Project Consultant. Draft Big Sur Sustainable Tourism DSP, p. 3 List of Abbreviations BGT Beyond Green Travel BSLUP Big Sur Land Use Plan BSMAAC Big Sur Multi-Agency Advisory Council CABS Community Association of Big Sur Caltrans California Department of Transportation CHMP Coast Highway Management Plan CSUMB California State University at Monterey Bay Destination BC Destination British Columbia DMO Destination Marketing Organization DSP Big Sur Sustainable Tourism Destination Plan GDP Gross Domestic Product GDS Green Destinations Standard GSST Green Scheme of Slovenian Tourism GSTC Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria LUAC Land Use Advisory Committee MCCVB Monterey County Convention and Visitors Bureau NGO Non-Governmental Organization SDG Sustainable Development Goal TDM Sustainable Transportation Demand Management Plan TIES The International Ecotourism Society TOTA Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association UNCTAD United Nations Conference on Trade and Development UNDP United Nations Development Program UNDRIP United NationsDRAFT Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples UNWTO United Nations World Tourism Organization USTOA United States Tour Operators Association WEF World Economic Forum WTTC World Travel and Tourism Council Draft Big Sur Sustainable Tourism DSP, p. 4 Executive Summary “To protect and preserve the rugged, scenic, natural beauty of Big Sur and its cultural heritage, benefit the local economy, and foster a welcoming and sustainable community for generations to come.” - DSP Vision Statement In 1950, there were 25 million international tourist arrivals around the world. Fast forward to 2019, and that number grew to 1.5 billion, with ongoing predictions that it will reach 1.8 billion by 2030 (UNWTO, 2020). Despite wars, natural disasters, public health emergencies, terrorist attacks and political instability through the decades, as tourism, both domestic and international, has risen and fallen in response to specific events, it has also maintained its steady rise over time. And just as tourism has continued to increase, so too has a growing volume of research and case studies revealing that tourism can be both an opportunity and a threat to the very places where visitors seek to spend their time. The difference between what makes it an opportunity or a threat is when visitation is carefully planned and managed. That is the main objective of the Big Sur Sustainable Tourism Destination Stewardship Plan (DSP) which was commissioned by the Monterey County Convention and Visitors Bureau (MCCVB) and Community Association of Big Sur (CABS) - to maximize tourism’s positive benefits and minimize any negative impacts When work started on this plan in 2019, Big Sur, like many other popular travel destinations, was the focusDRAFT of mounting concerns that growing numbers of visitors were having an increasingly negative impact on the local way of life and the environment. While firm data on the total number of visitors to Big Sur remains elusive (one of the recommendations of this plan is for more systematic and reliable visitation data specific to Big Sur), the steady increase in tourism to California overall and to Monterey County has been documented in recent years by Visit California’s own research. (California Travel Impacts, 2020) Draft Big Sur Sustainable Tourism DSP, p. 5 Two thirds of the way through the DSP planning process, the Global Coronavirus Pandemic was declared, leading to a sudden and near total collapse of the travel and tourism industry worldwide. California was no exception. Visitation in the state was brought to a near standstill during a period of lock down restrictions and as airline travel plummeted. And yet, as restrictions were slowly lifted on businesses and shelter-in-place orders began to be loosened and removed, Big Sur’s attractions, including Bixby Bridge, McWay Falls, and other popular tourism areas, in addition to back-country hiking and camping, saw a quick resurgence of visitation. Some Big Sur residents reported that visitation never really stopped, particularly citing back-country areas where monitoring and enforcement of shelter-in-place restrictions was lacking. Meanwhile, Visit California also announced a three-phase marketing campaign, aligned with public health guidelines, to help rebuild the state’s devasted tourism economy. Phase 1 of Visit California’s post pandemic marketing campaign, dubbed “California by Californians,” focuses on the domestic driving market within the state. Phase two will focus on the regional driving market (neighboring states) to attract visitors back to California; finally, Phase Three will be the launch of a national campaign to promote visiting California from across the USA. In Monterey County, tourism has been the second most important source of economic revenue (Monterey County Weekly, 5/14/19),