ICRT global founder Harold Goodwin will join an international panel at Missouri State University’s 2026 Public Affairs Conference to explore how collaboration between tourism stakeholders can help create travel places that work better for both residents and visitors.
The session, Working Together to Shape Travel Places People Love, will take place online on 30 September 2026 and will bring together perspectives from responsible tourism, destination research and destination management. Harold Goodwin will speak alongside Dr Bailey Adie, researcher in the Geography Research Unit at the University of Oulu in Finland, and Nathan Hermiston, senior vice-president of Convention Sales & Services at Visit KC. The session will be hosted by business graduate Kyla Burdick, with associate professor Dr Nancy Kageyama moderating the questions and discussion.
The discussion will focus on the importance of bringing together governments, businesses, communities, residents and visitors in shaping destinations. It will consider how different stakeholders can work towards shared goals while balancing economic development with environmental sustainability, cultural preservation and community wellbeing.
The session will also explore how collaboration can help destinations respond to some of the major challenges facing tourism, including climate change, overcrowding and rapidly changing travel trends. The central message is closely aligned with the principles of responsible tourism: creating better places to live in and visit requires collaboration, balance and resilience, with the benefits of tourism shared more fairly.
The session forms part of Missouri State University’s 23rd Public Affairs Conference which will take place from 29 September to 1 October 2026 under the theme The We Factor: Building Connections That Matter. The conference is designed to explore the role of community engagement, collaboration and leadership in addressing challenges and creating stronger, more resilient communities.
The wider conference brings together more than 60 speakers representing 17 states and six countries, with discussions spanning business, science, education, agriculture, health, the humanities and the arts. Its programme includes five in-person speakers, 18 live virtual panels and additional events before and after the main conference. All conference events are free and open to the public. The 2026 theme emphasises the importance of choosing “we” over “me” and building social capital through meaningful connections, dialogue and collective action. The conference asks how people can move from apathy to active community involvement, what makes collaboration successful and what everyday actions can help build stronger communities.
For ICRT global, the tourism session provides an opportunity to contribute to this wider conversation from a Responsible Tourism perspective. The challenges facing destinations cannot be addressed by tourism businesses or destination organisations acting alone. Bringing stakeholders together, listening to different perspectives and finding practical ways to balance the needs of communities, visitors, businesses and the environment are central to making tourism better.
The session will be available as a live Zoom webinar as part of the Missouri State University Public Affairs Conference programme. Bookmark the date and time and just visit this page on the day.
Working Together to Shape Travel Places People Love,
Date: Wednesday, September 30,
Times: 9am. USE Central Time Zone, London: 3:00 PM BST , Cape Town: 4:00 PM SAST, New Delhi: 7:30 PM IST
Image: Kansas City, Colton Sturgeon on Unsplash
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