Transformative travel, urban sustainability and transparency are a few of the seven trends in sustainable travel identified by Travel+SocialGood and NYU’s Jonathan M. Tisch Center for Hospitality and Tourism in a collaborative white paper released in October. “Trends and tactics to mainstream sustainable tourism: How the tourism industry can act as a force to solve the world’s most pressing issues” is packed with examples of travel industry businesses that are employing these trends and setting examples for the rest of the industry. The white paper is based on data gathered at the 2016 Travel+SocialGood Summit, where 150 of the travel industry’s innovators focused on solutions to mainstreaming sustainable travel.
“Our goal in releasing these trends and real-life examples is to help other members of the travel industry adapt their operations and give them ideas on how to transform their businesses,” Travel+SocialGood Executive Director Kelley Louise said. “The opportunity for the tourism industry to have a major impact on economic/job growth, environmental sustainability and other major issues is very real.”
The white paper was produced in collaboration with the NYU School of Professional Studies Jonathan M. Tisch Center for Hospitality and Tourism. The Tisch Center is a leading academic center and research partner for the tourism and hospitality industries. Sustainability and sustainable travel are central components in NYUSPS Tisch Center undergraduate and graduate degree programs, through which students examine global best practices in destination management, transport regulations and responsible visitation. This holistic and community-based view on travel enables students to critically analyze tourism products, and understand the role of technology in encouraging sustainability in destination development and management, noted Lynn Minnaert, academic chair and clinical associate professor.
Travel+SocialGood released the white paper ahead of its 2017 Summit, which will be held on Nov. 16-17 in New York City. Travindy’s editor Jeremy Smith is speaking at the summit, and his upcoming book – Transforming Travel – realising the potential of sustainable tourism – is featured in the white paper. This year’s attendees will meet a different challenge: how to increase accessibility and awareness of sustainable tourism. “We see a few travel companies that have done a great job with transparency, but we feel it’s the most pressing need in front of the industry right now,” Louise said. “We’re excited to team up with Global Sustainable Tourism Council, Sustainable Travel International, Center for Responsible Travel and Tourism Cares to address this issue at the Summit.”
The design-thinking agency, Community by Design will lead this year’s Summit ideation workshop focused on transparency. Attendees will spend several hours developing solutions to be shared across the travel industry.
