Destination Stewardship Earns Kirkus Starred Review as Destinations Rethink Tourism Growth

Award-winning journalist and author Tonya Fitzpatrick explores how destinations can grow without sacrificing communities, culture or resilience.

SILVER SPRING, MD, UNITED STATES, September 29, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Destination Stewardship: Drive Sustainability, Economic Renewal, and Cultural Integrity (Kogan Page), by award-winning journalist and author Tonya Fitzpatrick, has received a starred review from Kirkus Reviews, bringing new recognition to a book examining how destinations can generate economic value from tourism while protecting the communities, cultures and natural resources on which the industry depends.

Kirkus describes Destination Stewardship as an “academically robust resource that’s also accessible” and praises its combination of research, case studies and practical solutions. The review concludes: “A timely, comprehensive analysis that invites tourists and destinations to reevaluate their practices.”

Founded in 1933, Kirkus Reviews is one of the book industry’s best-known review publications. Kirkus describes the Kirkus Star as “one of the most coveted designations in the book industry” and says the distinction marks books of exceptional merit. Kirkus also characterizes its starred reviews as rare.

The recognition comes as destinations around the world confront questions surrounding overtourism, climate resilience, infrastructure, resident sentiment, cultural preservation and the distribution of tourism’s economic benefits.

Published by Kogan Page in April 2026, Destination Stewardship challenges destinations to look beyond traditional measures such as visitor volume and spending and ask a broader question: Is tourism making the destination stronger?

“The Kirkus Star is particularly meaningful because I wrote Destination Stewardship to bridge research and practice,” Fitzpatrick said. “I wanted it to contribute to serious policy and industry discussions while remaining useful to destination organizations, businesses, community stakeholders and travelers making decisions that affect places every day.”

Fitzpatrick argues that destination stewardship is not anti-tourism and is not about closing places to visitors. It is about ensuring that tourism does not weaken the very places people travel to experience.

“Visitor growth by itself does not tell us whether tourism is succeeding,” Fitzpatrick said. “We also have to examine where tourism-generated value goes, whether communities benefit from it, what happens to local culture and whether the natural and built environments that support tourism are becoming stronger or more vulnerable.”

In Destination Stewardship, Fitzpatrick presents stewardship as a system connecting governance, tourism economics, community participation, public-private collaboration, measurement, cultural preservation and environmental responsibility. Case studies and examples from destinations around the world illustrate how those principles can move from theory into practical action.

The book examines the roles of governments, destination organizations, tourism businesses, residents and travelers as shared stewards of a place. Rather than treating sustainability as a stand-alone initiative or marketing message, Fitzpatrick argues that decisions about tourism growth and development should be evaluated against their long-term effects on communities and destinations.

“The goal is not simply to attract visitors,” Fitzpatrick said. “It is to ensure that tourism leaves the destination stronger.”

The Kirkus Star adds to growing recognition for Destination Stewardship. Jonathan Tourtellot, a pioneer in the destination stewardship field, called it “The First True Book on Destination Stewardship” in The Destination Stewardship Report, where he examined the book’s contribution to the evolving field of destination management.

The book also features a foreword by H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco, whose environmental work through the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation has focused on climate change, biodiversity and sustainable development.

Fitzpatrick has carried the book’s themes into professional and academic settings. Most recently, she participated in Cornell University’s Climate Week NYC programming for the roundtable “Unlocking Tourism Revenue for Destination Resilience: What Does It Take?” She has also addressed audiences at New York University’s Tisch Center of Hospitality, Destinations International and ITB Berlin.

In November, Fitzpatrick will continue those conversations at World Travel Market London, one of the global travel industry’s major international gatherings, where she will meet with destination leaders, tourism organizations and potential partners from around the world.

Fitzpatrick is available for media interviews, conference panels, keynote and breakout sessions, university lectures and industry discussions on destination stewardship, overtourism, tourism economics, community engagement, cultural preservation, destination resilience and the evolving role of destination organizations.

## ABOUT DESTINATION STEWARDSHIP

Published by Kogan Page in April 2026, *Destination Stewardship: Drive Sustainability, Economic Renewal, and Cultural Integrity* offers a practical framework for tourism leaders, policymakers, destination organizations, businesses and educators seeking to generate economic value while protecting communities, cultures and natural environments.

The book examines how tourism can create economic opportunity without weakening local culture, natural resources or residents’ quality of life. It combines research, case studies, expert perspectives and practical strategies addressing governance, sustainability, community engagement, cultural preservation and destination resilience.

The book features a foreword by H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco and is available through Kogan Page, Amazon, Barnes & Noble and wherever books are sold.

## ABOUT TONYA FITZPATRICK

Tonya Fitzpatrick, Esq., is an award-winning journalist, author, attorney and three-time TEDx speaker. She is co-founder of World Footprints, a social-impact travel media platform, and serves on the Maryland Tourism Development Board.

Fitzpatrick has addressed professional and academic audiences including Destinations International, ITB Berlin, Cornell University and New York University’s Tisch Center of Hospitality.

Her work explores the intersection of tourism, public policy, sustainability, cultural preservation and economic empowerment, with a focus on how travel can strengthen communities, create lasting economic opportunity and deepen understanding across cultures.

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