How do locals where you live feel about tourism? Destination leaders seeking long-term success for tourism need to understand its impacts on the quality of life at home. Academic research is allowing some destination management organizations to study how those impacts manifest in resident sentiment. This gives travel leaders, like those in the Destination Think Collective, new tools to support their communities by shaping better policies.

To encourage the application of this research, Destination Think is excited to embark on a collaborative fellowship with Todd Montgomery,  Endowed Professor and Executive-in-Residence in Hospitality Management at Oregon State University. Montgomery is also the Founder and Director of the OSU Sustainable Tourism Lab. He has studied resident sentiment about tourism in more than 300 destinations, and he is an internationally recognized voice on sustainable destination development. The Sustainable Tourism Lab focuses on economic, community, and environmental issues to protect tourism destinations for future generations.

The new fellowship will enable members of the Destination Think Collective to apply insights from academic research in a business setting and will provide the group with an opportunity to share knowledge that could influence future research.   

“This fellowship represents a step toward closing the gap between research and practice. I am excited to assist Destination Think to support destinations in driving sustainable growth without compromising resident quality of life.” – Todd Montgomery

In December 2025, the Sustainable Tourism Lab released a research paper entitled “Evaluating Economic Policy Responses to Appease Growing Dissent in Tourism”. The research is based on data collected in many communities about resident sentiment, and includes analysis of more than 11,000 survey responses, facilitation of over 40 focus groups, delivering 28 community presentations, and interviews with hundreds of residents across the globe.

Todd Montgomery will share further insights related to resident sentiment and policy through Destination Think’s email newsletter. Subscribe to receive these and other destination management insights in your inbox.