ABOUT US
To make tourism a force for good - fueling economic vitality, strengthening communities, and protecting the places we love.
Vision:
Mission:
We make tourism work - for destinations, businesses, and sites - by simplifying tourism development and management into practical, actionable and tailored solutions, empowering people and their places every step of the way.
Addressing a Problem:
TourismWORKS, a NatureScapes company, was created to meet a growing need among destinations, tourism businesses, and sites for simpler, more effective approaches to planning, developing, and managing tourism.
Many of the organizations we support face competing priorities across a complex tourism ecosystem. They’re looking for clarity on where to start and how to best use their time and resources. We created TourismWORKS to provide a solution - breaking tourism development and management down into bite-sized, practical steps, and providing an extra set of hands to address organizations needs wherever they are on their tourism development journey.
Simon Jones - Founder of TourismWORKS & NatureScapes
OUR COMMITMENT
To make navigating tourism development and management simpler, we’ve developed 20+ programs that each provide solutions and the tools to address a tourism need, whether that's a plan to get going, the skills to start and manage a tourism experience, or to tell your story to travelers. We are committed to provide hands-on support to help organizations achieve their tourism goals. Through this work, we aim to strengthen local economies, ensure tourism benefits communities, and safeguard the places we all love to visit.
Tourism development and management isn’t a one-size-fits-all path.
Every destination, business, and community has its own journey, with different needs at different moments. We organize our programs into five categories, each designed to help you be that role:
The Wayfinder, the Organizer, the Researcher, the Kickstarter, and the Storyteller.
Together, making tourism more manageable.
toryteller
We’ve elevated the stories of destinations and tourism practitioners in ways that attract and engage the right visitors.
ayfinder
We’ve supported destinations and businesses to map their path forward, grounding their strategies in people, place, and purpose.
rganizer
We’ve helped bring tourism ideas and enterprises to life -
shaping experiences that resonate with visitors and benefit locals.
esearcher
We’ve equipped destinations with the insights and data needed to understand their audiences and stand out in the market.
ickstarter
We’ve kickstarted initiatives that drive sustainable & resilient tourism futures.
toryteller
We’ve elevated the stories of destinations and tourism practitioners in ways that attract and engage the right visitors.
Our Team
Cara has built her career in branding and marketing, focused on elevating lifestyle brands. She holds a B.S. in Hospitality and Tourism from UT Knoxville and an M.A. in Integrated Marketing Communication from UNCW. Her expertise is in brand development and digital storytelling, and she enjoys exploring North Carolina and learning about its history in her free time.
Cara Treadway
Bringing extensive experience in the tourism industry and focused experience in program and project management, she leads statewide initiatives that support rural economic growth and strategic planning efforts. She specializes in stakeholder engagement, cross-sector collaboration, program implementation, and operational oversight. Fluent in Spanish, she brings cultural insight and relationship-building expertise to every project she leads.
Jesarela Valle
With an MA in Hospitality & Tourism, Lily blends a decade of hospitality experience with years of academic research for our tourism development projects. Guided by a service-heart ethos and a passion for sustainability, Lily approaches tourism development with a dedication to community engagement and environmental conservation. As a Program Manager at Naturescapes, she channels this commitment to drive impactful and innovative solutions within the tourism industry.
Lily Herbert
Milena is a specialist in behavioral economics, with a passion for using knowledge about human psychology to understand the root behaviors influencing the travel industry. She is the author of the first book on behavioural thinking for the travel industry and the founder of a boutique consultancy supporting businesses and destinations in applying behavior-smart innovations.
Milena Nikolova
Neil has spent more than 20 years in nature and adventure travel, including co-founding the award-winning tour company Wilderness Scotland, twice named the World’s Best Green Tour Operator. Originally trained as an environmental lawyer, he has led tourism and protected area business planning for Conservation Capital for the past decade and has served as a non-executive director for several conservation organizations.
Neil Birnie
Bringing 20+ years of hospitality and tourism industry experience, P.J. is currently the Director of Marketing, Communication, and Engagement for the College of Fine and Applied Arts at Appalachian State University. He specializes in signature storytelling, ideation, brand development, public relations, marketing strategy, stakeholder relationship management, and hospitality and tourism training.
PJ Wirchansky
Simon grew up in wildlife parks in England and the U.S. and has 20 years of nature tourism experiences. Simon co-founded Solimar International, a tourism planning and development firm, and has worked with businesses, governments, destinations, parks & protected areas and NGOs in diverse countries and cultures around the world. He has a Masters of Tourism & Sustainable Destination Management from The George Washington University School of Business.
Simon Jones
Taylor Bass graduated from Oregon State University with a B.S. in Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences. She lives in a small town in Florida and has always had a love for conservation, animals, and the environment. During her senior year of college, she extended her passions into sustainable tourism and hopes to bring a positive impact to small towns like hers.
Taylor Bass
If you are interested in working with us, please send us your resume.