In this episode, Kristin Lamoureux describes her start in Ecuador, exposure to Indigenous traditions and development tensions in the Amazon, and implications for tourism around cultural and biodiversity conservation as a business opportunity. On the other hand, tourism can be poorly implemented with harmful impacts. This presentation discusses the pros and cons and Dr. Lamoureux's approach and experiences promoting tourism development around cultural and environmental resources.

Dr. Kristin Lamoureux is Visiting Professor of Tourism and Hospitality Management at Virginia Tech. Dr. Kristin Lamoureux is an accomplished hospitality and tourism professional with over 25 years of experience as an educator, researcher and consultant in tourism and hospitality, tourism development, destination management and marketing, hospitality management, marketing, strategic planning and research. Prior to this position at Virginia Tech, she served as the Associate Dean of the Jonathan M. Tisch Center for Hospitality and Tourism within the School of Professional Studies at New York University and Executive Director of the International Institute of Tourism Studies at George Washington University.