The inaugural Regenerative Tourism Summit at World Travel Market London highlighted the urgent need for a paradigm shift in the travel and tourism sector, focusing on community benefits, environmental restoration, and sustainable growth amidst global challenges.
In a session moderated by Tina O’Dwyer from Cooraclare, industry experts argued against traditional tourism models that prioritise visitor numbers, advocating for regenerative tourism that fosters meaningful benefits for local communities and ecosystems.
Speakers shared global examples of regenerative tourism initiatives, such as easyJet holidays in Majorca and Fáilte Ireland’s investment in Midlands peatlands fuelling regenerative tourism initiatives through a €68m grant from the EU Just Transition Programme to regenerate the Midlands peatlands, transitioning away from industrial peat harvesting.
The funding aims to create tourism jobs and promote sustainable practices within the region, fostering a more eco-friendly tourism sector.
Orla Carroll, Fáilte Ireland’s Director of Product Development, discussed the Midlands Regenerative Tourism Placemaking Programme, inspired by the successful Wild Atlantic Way initiative.
The programme aims to replicate the Wild Atlantic Way’s success by focusing on eco-friendly offerings such as cycling trails, glamping, and slow tourism experiences that allow visitors to connect deeply with nature.
In the decade since its launch, the Wild Atlantic Way has attracted an additional 2m tourists and supported 35,000 new jobs.
Elke Dens shared an example from Bruges, where a nun partnered with Visit Flanders to open historic Latin book tours, benefiting both the local community and the destination.
D rawing on Albert Einstein’s insight that “no problem can be solved with the same consciousness that created it,” Anna Pollock, founder of Conscious Travel, cited the global “polycrisis” as described by the World Trade Organization, with interconnected risks, including climate change, biodiversity loss, ocean acidification, and political instability.
The summit emphasised that regenerative tourism presents a viable alternative to conventional practices, seeking to create a net positive impact on destinations and promoting resilience and sustainability in the face of interconnected global crises.
