PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
While tourism has returned to pre-pandemic levels and the industry re-embraces physical travel, virtual travel operators see a different future on the horizon.
THE NEXT ECONOMY -
In its first year, the Made to Travel™ Fund has awarded more than $1.5M in grants to a diverse set of organizations working with underserved or underrepresented travelers.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
The tour operator is reforesting 13 countries severely impacted by climate change and relaunching its Ripple Score — a tour-evaluation rating that lets travelers see how much of their trip fees remain in the communities they visit.
THE NEXT ECONOMY -
Astrostays launched in 2019 to promote tourism while training local youth in astronomy to show off the Himalayas’ night sky. Now, Cosmohub is a more scalable, sustainable model — a connected community space that highlights local folklore and traditions along with stargazing.
MARKETING AND COMMS -
The vocal oatmilk brand is calling for mandatory climate labeling of food in the UK; and the global hotel chain now has carbon-labeled menus at 30 UK properties.
MARKETING AND COMMS -
Intrepid has launched one of tourism’s most comprehensive carbon-labeling initiatives, alongside new research that shows consumer demand for better
transparency and understanding their personal impacts.
THE NEXT ECONOMY -
Frequent flyer reward programs encourage flyers to emit up to 34x their lifetime carbon budget; while flying private can pollute up to 30x more than a standard flight.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Instead of the traditional approach of shielding tourists from places' 'messy' parts, more travel-focused social enterprises are working with marginalized communities to introduce tourists to their destination’s complex fabric.
MARKETING AND COMMS -
In partnering with enterprise software startup BeCause, Booking.com can now automate the managing and updating of information about properties’ sustainability certifications and features.
CLEANTECH -
The World Economic Forum’s Airports of Tomorrow initiative seeks to address the energy, infrastructure and financing needs of the transition to a net-zero aviation industry by 2050.
WALKING THE TALK -
The Food Made Good Sustainability Standard is the only certification designed to measure restaurants’ social and environmental impacts, wherever they are in the world. It also highlights areas for improvement and provides credibility in communicating sustainability practices to customers.
BEHAVIOR CHANGE -
An increasingly popular strategy for closing this gap is incentivizing ways for travelers to “give back” through actions that benefit the environment and local communities.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
The Alliance’s vision for net-positive hospitality includes standardizing sustainability metrics across the industry and a shared vision for giving back to destination communities more than it takes.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Kids will care for the planet long after the adults in the boardroom are gone. Involving them in sustainability and climate initiatives through tourism now is a natural gateway to positively shaping the future.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Embodied carbon, clean energy, resource efficiency, and supporting local communities and biodiversity are among the many critical factors in making tourism fit to flourish in a climate-challenged future.
THE NEXT ECONOMY -
Visit Faroe Islands’ innovative strategy and annual ‘Closed for Maintenance’ voluntourism program illustrate the destination’s dual commitment to both promotion and the sustainable development. Lacking relevant legislation, VFI uses tourism to support sustainable development on a broader scale.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
As always, the goal of our gift guide is to encourage a more conscious approach to gift-giving by highlighting products, services and experiences that create value and benefits beyond short-term gratification for the recipient. Here’s this year’s list of some of the many companies, platforms and products that we’d be happy to support anytime.
WALKING THE TALK -
Naumi Hotels is raising the bar for eco-tourism with its holistic, conscious model — which includes repurposing existing buildings, incorporating living elements and providing employment for low-income women in India.
MARKETING AND COMMS -
The success of tourism pledges lies with destinations, not travelers; and for any pledge to be effective, it must be used as part of a destination’s wider sustainable tourism strategy, rather than an isolated destination-management intervention.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
The new Norwegian network of nine properties is on a mission to redefine business travel with experiences that embed and impart the very essence of sustainability and regenerative practices.