DONALD LEADBETTER

Donald Leadbetter, the Tourism Program Manager at the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) based in Washington D.C. joined us on the show and talked us through his passion for national parks, tourism and nature.

Patrizia and Donald dove into the specific tasks that Donald carries out as a Tourism Program Manager, which include researching and creating memorable experiences for visitors, as well as making strategic decisions for the NPS. The two of them discussed the history of the NPS, which has been responsible for managing lands, parks, historic sites and waters for over 100 years. Donald explained how he leads the development of new units and communities within the NPS, as well as the challenge of managing access to certain areas of national parks for tourists and avoiding over-tourism in the process.

Before he left, Donald shared his wish for people to reflect on the importance of nature more frequently and we couldn’t agree more.

Enjoy the show!