Finally, and most importantly, was a full Summit Day on Sustainability. How will our big industry make a difference to the people and places we visit, and to protect the environment now? Or will it be too busy trying to build back better, putting sustainability lower on the priority list?
We heard, over and over, sustainability is top of the list for a number of reasons. Firstly, we know that to build forward better, to rebuild our industry in a way that genuinely protects preserves, promotes and celebrates the world around us, both people in places, for the long run. Leaders stated emphatically, “Sustainability is not an appendix to Strategy.” For Consumers today, it is not a request, but a demand, an expectation of travelers and travel companies around the world. We have all seen by being grounded in 2020, the difference that we make to local communities, on supply chains, on artisans, on all of those around us, who desperately need jobs driven by the travel and tourism industry.
Tourism Cares, the not-for-profit that I am very fortunate to be the Chair of, is being turned to and requested to activate our over 20 years of experience and expertise in convening the industry around a common purpose, and proven approaches, to make the greatest impact together! United we are, as we rebuild our “essential industry” together. Enjoy the video below, which gives my point of view on sustainability as our shared call to action.