17 Sep Trends in Tourism Sustainability

Sustainability has been an important topic in tourism for decades. It is exciting to see the ways groups from around the globe are tackling the wicked problem of ensuring tourism is a force for good.

In a chapter I contributed to the Routledge Handbook of Trends and Issues in Tourism Sustainability, Planning and Development, Management, and Technology (catchy title, isn’t it??), I tackled the question – What are the trends in Tourism Sustainability? Here’s what I see as some of the important trends (Chapter spoilers ahead).

• Climate Change and Tourism: Climate change will be a dominating theme in the future of the tourism system (and humanity as a whole).
• Evolving stakeholder expectations and changing expectations of tourism: It is exciting to see communities gaining agency in developing tourism in their destinations.
•  Operationalizing Sustainable Tourism: There is a need for more focus on how sustainable tourism is implemented. We know what needs to be done, but we must spend more time on how it gets done.
• Broadening Perspectives: Sustainability must be embedded in all tourism activities. We must raise the discussion from focusing on small rural or natural locations to including even the largest cities.
• New Approaches to Tourism Production: The tourism system is dynamic and adjusts to change. Whether it is adjusting to the transition to Electric Vehicles (EV) or adopting circular economy production approaches, the system must embrace and adopt new – and more sustainable ways of creating travel experiences.
• Regenerative Sustainable Tourism and the Next New Thing that promotes sustainability: For many, the rhetoric around sustainability lacks inspiration. While it can be argued that sustainable tourism embraces all that people working on regenerative tourism advocate, many folks just don’t see or believe it. Right or wrong – many perceive sustainable tourism as about lists of what not to do, whereas regenerative tourism is about what can be done to make things better. Embracing new approaches – such as regenerative tourism –adds new energy and enthusiasm to the hard work of ensuring tourism contributes positively to the community and society.

If you are interested in these ideas, I encourage you to check out the chapter. Get it through your library or at this link. The book covers a lot of important ground and is worth checking out.

What do you think are the important trends facing tourism sustainability in the coming decade?