World Travel Market London Calls for a Paradigm Shift in Regenerative Tourism

Thursday, November 7, 2024

World Travel Market London’s inaugural Regenerative Tourism Summit emphasized the urgent need for a “paradigm shift” in the travel and tourism sector.

Tina O’Dwyer, founder of The Tourism Space, a sustainable and regenerative destination consultancy, said the current paradigm sees “more visitors as more value” – and tourism also contributes to carbon emissions.

Highlighting other problems such as overtourism and “tourism leakage”, which means not enough money remains in holiday destinations, she warned: “There is a tipping point where more numbers mean less value. Are we brave enough to leave behind a paradigm that has worked well for us in the past? The tipping point question brings regenerative tourism to the fore; communities are looking for more value for themselves and for nature. It requires us to flip assumptions.”

Anna Pollock, Founder of Conscious Travel, underscored pressing warnings from the World Trade Organization about an impending “polycrisis” – a convergence of global risks, including the climate crisis, biodiversity loss, ocean acidification, and political challenges.

She said these issues have been seen as separate problems until recently, warning: “Sustainability is not enough. Einstein was right – no problem can be solved with the same consciousness that created it.” She said regeneration can “bring life back to that which was dying or degenerating”, adding: “You cannot keep growing and getting bigger and bigger. You have to go through a paradigm shift.”

She said such a shift is starting to be seen in tourism, highlighting eco-friendly developments that are more beneficial and locally owned.

Elke Dens, founder of Place Generation, presented diverse case studies on regenerative tourism from across the globe, such as easyJet holidays’ initiatives for water management solutions in Majorca and The Travel Corporation’s efforts to cut emissions on Loch Ness tours.

Dens said collaborating with authorities across regional and state boundaries is important, as is liaising with indigenous people and residents. She cited the example of a nun in Bruges who worked with Visit Flanders to open up tours to see historic Latin books – benefiting both her and the destination.

Delegates also learned about Fáilte Ireland’s efforts to revitalize a sprawling peat bog landscape, fostering the development of cycling trails, glamping, and “slow tourism.”

Backed by the EU’s Just Transition Programme, the Regenerative Tourism Placemaking Programme aims to transform Ireland’s Midlands, a region where industrial peat harvesting and fossil fuel production have ceased, into a sustainable tourism hub.

Orla Carroll, Director of Product Development at Fáilte Ireland, said the tourism authority had been awarded €68 million to help create tourism jobs and regenerate the peatlands as part of a “fair, just” transition. The project drew on the learnings from the Wild Atlantic Way scheme in Ireland which increased visitor numbers to the western coastal region. Two million more tourists visited the Wild Atlantic Way in 2023 than in 2013, with an additional 35,000 additional jobs being supported in 10 years.