Rethinking tourism, regenerating the sector: We talk about tourism in RE Mayor
By Pako Rodríguez, Consultant specialised in tourism.
(Originally published in Spanish)
Once again this year, the World Tourism Organisation is promoting World Tourism Day, an event that serves to reflect on the different aspects of tourism activity and to understand its challenges, which are increasingly changing and intense. In this edition we are invited to rethink tourism. Ideas for Change is committed to regenerating the sector. Do you want to know how?
Rethinking tourism for a better future
In the presentation of this new edition of World Tourism Day, mention is made of some of the ideas that represent the direction in which the sector as a whole should move. In terms of time, there is no better moment than the present to put in place measures to secure a future.
As mentioned in the presentation, recognition of the sector is greater than ever, but we are still a long way from seeing the potential of tourism to be a vector for positive change. Increasingly, initiatives, both public and private, are being put in place to ensure that the net impact of the sector is favourable to society, residents and visitors. It is worth remembering that these two roles are increasingly interchangeable.
Now that the worst of the Covid crisis is behind us, and in view of the recovery we are already experiencing, it is time to rethink and rethink not only how we do tourism, but also how we manage it in an inclusive and participatory way.
Regenerative tourism as a paradigm of change
Regenerative tourism is one of the models that are suggesting that the industry can go beyond allowing people to get to know new places and maintain cultural exchanges with residents and other visitors. This model is committed to improving destinations through tourism activity with the participation of residents, both in planning and in the different initiatives or activities in which the proposals materialise.
In order to rethink tourism, it is worth bearing in mind this philosophy, which is increasingly becoming a firm commitment to really turn tourism into an agent of positive change. A paradigm that seeks to work from ideas that allow for the regeneration of the environment where they are developed, going beyond sustainable tourism, whose main commitment is to reduce the negative impact in order to maintain what we still have left.
Fiturnext and the regeneration of the natural environment
For this reason, in the 2023 edition of Fiturnext, the Observatory that we manage at Ideas for Change for FITUR, this year we are committed to understanding how tourism can contribute to the regeneration of the natural environment. After several months analysing initiatives at a global level, we can share some of the best practices that we have found interesting:
Museo Atlántico: underwater museum developed as a huge artificial reef for the protection and regeneration of the ecosystem. This peculiar museum consists of ten different groups of sculptures, with different motifs, among which you can dive. It is located in a protected area in Playa Blanca, Lanzarote.
Plastic Whale: aims to have a plastic-free land and sea all over the world. Among its activities is the collection of waste in the canals of Amsterdam thanks to the action of tourists who enjoy their boat tour of the city's waters.
Soap for Hope: this project works with hotels to collect leftover soap and, using machinery provided to local NGOs, helps women to create new soap and sell it. In this way they have enabled thousands of women to earn a minimum income to enable them to make a better life for themselves.
Starlight Iberá: the sky as a vehicle for land recovery
Continuing with regenerative tourism as a guide, Ideas for Change, in collaboration with Fundación Yetapá, Starlight Iberá and Global CAD, is working on a project financed by AECID in Argentina. Starlight Iberá proposes to turn the starry sky into an opportunity for sustainable and responsible tourism.
The main idea behind this project is to train local guides to become Starlight guides, who are the people who can guide and observe the night sky, and to turn the Iberá National Park into a Starlight Reserve. The latter aspect means greater protection for the nature reserve, as Starlight certification is conditional on maintaining the conditions under which it was obtained, especially in terms of light pollution. This park is also surrounded by several municipalities. Three of them have been working on the project during these months through different training activities, such as Starlight guide and monitor certification, as well as more participative activities through workshops. One of these activities is the development of the Iberá destination, carried out through our Destinos que Molan methodology, with the CARE analysis. This analysis allows us to work with the residents and entrepreneurs of the territory to value the knowledge that each one has of it and to understand what they want to become as a destination, what their purpose is, what type of tourism they want to offer, in what way and, especially important, to whom it is addressed.
Reflection: tourism in RE Mayor
Rethinking tourism is essential to take advantage of the recovery we are in and to start rethinking and reflecting on what we want the sector to be like. The huge numbers of tourists globally can become a risk or an opportunity. If we use at least some of the energy we all carry with us when we travel, regeneration can become a reality and part of our purpose in planning our trips.
Reduce, reuse and recycle are vital elements to make our actions as sustainable as possible and should continue to be so. Now, in addition, we have the opportunity to make a real reset and become positive impact travellers through regenerative tourism.
Maybe then the tourism sector will finally get the recognition and respect mentioned in this edition of World Tourism Day. Maybe then residents will start to look at tourism in a different light. Maybe it is simply a matter of rethinking what kind of traveller we want to be.
We have discussed this and other positive tourism topics in our webinars. Subscribe to our social networks and our newsletter to keep up with us.
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