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ECOCLUB, Issue 91
GLOBAL ECOTOURISM CONFERENCE SPECIAL
An Interview with David Sollitt, the new Director of TIES
"MY TERM WILL HOPEFULLY BE SEEN AS ONE BASED ON INCREASED OUTREACH
AND COLLABORATION”
David Sollitt joined The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) in
February 2007 as the new Executive Director. With his extensive experience
in regional, national and international marketing and communications as well
as conservation background, Dave brings exciting and innovative solutions
and opportunities to TIES and its network. After a 20-year career in
international advertising in New York and Chicago, Dave and family moved
west. With his own agency and consultancy in Jackson Hole, WY, Dave
worked with such clients as Grand Teton Lodge Company, Vail Resorts,
Rockefeller Holdings, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, Wyoming State
Tourism, Marriott, and, most recently, TIES-member Papoose Creek Lodge
in Cameron, MT. Dave also consulted for a variety of conservation
organizations including Trout Unlimited, Deschutes River Conservancy,
Yellowstone to Yukon and others. He holds a BS in Environmental Science
from Arizona State University and a Masters in Communications from
Northwestern University. He has enjoyed travelling to every continent except
Antarctica and sailing extensively around the world.
a global network of industry practitioners, institutions and individuals
helping to integrate environmental and socially responsible principles into
practice, while promoting responsible travel that unites conservation and
communities.
TIES promotes responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people
by creating an international network of individuals, institutions and the tourism industry, educating tourists and tourism
professionals and influencing the tourism industry, public institutions and donors to integrate the principles of ecotourism into
their operations and policies.
TIES has an extensive Training and Education program that provides consulting Services, international training programs,
distance learning courses, advocacy campaigns, UCFC program, conferences, public forums and publications.
(The Interview follows:)
ECOCLUB: What made you assume the big ecotourism helm of The International Ecotourism Society? Did you bring with
you a "100-day" plan for changes, or are you rather the consensus-seeking type?
David Sollitt: I’ve always been passionate about conservation. My degree was in Environmental Science and at one time, I was
set on being an environmental lawyer to save the planet. That was until I concluded communications was both my forte and an
effective means of preserving our natural world. I worked in the private sector most of my career, and I feel strongly that
conservation programs that integrate public and private partnerships and constituencies are the best way to ensure preservation
of the world’s last best places. Ecotourism provides perhaps the best model to demonstrate that wild places and biodiversity
have both tangible and intangible value. Any thoughts for a 100 day plan were pretty much killed when I realised how much
there was to do in my first 100 days, including Oslo, a major fundraiser, and board meeting. But there are plans in the works to
dramatically improve our service to our members and our ability to serve the Ecotourism community. I am pleased to say my
100th day at TIES will be spent in Oslo, surrounded by the best and the brightest in global Ecotourism at the Global Ecotourism
Conference, 2007.
ECOCLUB: Do you view Ecotourism, as a tourism movement, or as a tourism niche?
David Sollitt: Niches that reflect real, compelling human needs and values become movements. It’s only a matter of size and
critical mass. Ecotourism is one example of a niche that has become a movement.
