Jen Mallia of TravelPulse Canada was on the scene at the recent IMM TravMedia Summit, a day of learning and connecting for travel media, travel brands and suppliers, and destination marketing organizations (DMOs).
Representatives from Flight Centre Travel Group, The Overview Effect, Luxury Lodges of Australia and Havila Voyages took to the stage to discuss sustainable travel as it is now and how it could be in the future, including addressing the problem of overtourism.
What the experts said about sustainable tourism strategies ~
“Infinite growth is not possible, and we have to figure out how to keep the sector thriving. It has to be profitable, and it has to be sustainable,” Penny Rafferty, Executive Chair Luxury Lodges of Australia said. “So destinations have to really look at how they are going to manage access, capacity, flow of visitors, in a way that spreads sustainably across their destination.” She expressed concern that overpromoting “hidden gems” in an attempt to move attention from destinations that are heavily touristed will only shift the problem, rather than solve it.
The panel concluded on a hopeful note, acknowledging that nature is a shared resource and that sustainable travel is more than a passing trend. “People have an increased understanding that their own well being is linked to the well being of the planet,” said Rafferty. “That is why we seek nature, and why we seek connection with place, because it actually is connected to our own well being.”
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