Business Class: The Global Tourism Leadership Conversation
Building a Destination With Your Community, Not For It — with Travis Scott, CEO of Visit Big Bear
Two years ago, wildfire evacuation orders emptied Big Bear Lake of 6,000 residents with nowhere to go. What Travis Scott and his team did next — coordinating free emergency housing through Airbnb.org — became the model the City of Los Angeles used during last year's wildfires. In this episode, Travis Scott, CEO of Visit Big Bear , joins us to talk about what it looks like when a destination organization shows up as a true community partner, not just a marketing shop. We cover his path from the wine industry into destination management, his philosophy of building a destination brand with the community rather than handing it to them, how those relationships evolved into a real disaster response, and his candid take on where AI is helping — and hurting — the craft of tourism storytelling. In this episode: How Travis went from running wineries for 20 years to leading destination organizations Why he believes DMOs should give communities a voice in the brand, not just deliver one to them The story behind Visit Big Bear's wildfire evacuation housing program — and how it became a template for LA What stewardship means beyond a "leave no trace" sign AI's real impact on direct bookings, and the case for AI as a catalyst for better storytelling, not a replacement for it What Travis is learning next (hint: it involves a pilot's license) Business Class is a podcast by Learn Tourism, featuring conversations with destination and tourism leaders from around the industry. Learn more about Learn Tourism at learntourism.org. Business Class is brought to you by Learn Tourism , the nonprofit academy - harnessing the power of science, business psychology and adult education to advance the tourism industry and build sustainable economies. Learn how to engage your community, win over stakeholders and get more visitors at learntourism.org . Support the show
