News and Insights
Regenerative Principles For Hospitality
April 19, 2021
As the world continues to navigate its way to recovery from the global pandemic, many of us reflect on the basic notion of why we travel, and how we have a collective responsibility to create the change we want to see for the future of our planet.
We are at a turning point as a human species to reverse the trajectory of climate change with an urgent call to repair and replenish the damage to our environment and our communities.
Regenerative principles are emerging as the future of tourism with the potential to create better conditions for people and lives to flourish. We now have the opportunity to rebuild a framework that brings back a transformational travel experience that creates abundance for all stakeholders—one that is non-extractive, immersive, inclusive, diverse, and equitable.
In December 2020, Regenerative Travel, a benefit[1] corporation providing support services to a network of independently owned eco-luxury boutique hotels who are dedicated to the highest levels of social and environmental impact released Regenerative Travel Principles for Hospitality as a practical framework for moving Regenerative Travel from buzzword to paradigm shift.
This paper leverages case studies from hotels like Fogo Island Inn, Great Plains Conservation, and Six Senses among others who might be practicing regeneration without explicitly using the terminology; plus a lexicon of “regenerative terminology” so readers can go from the theoretical to the practical applications of Regenerative Travel as a force for positive change.
Case studies from hotels detail how tourism can act as a healing force and transformative change agent, especially as we move from the current threat of the COVID-19 pandemic to the next imminent threat of climate change. Stakeholders include hoteliers, industry leaders, trade, media, travel designers, travelers and especially the local communities most impacted by travel. The white paper aims to create an industry reference to define what regenerative principles are in order to create the paradigm shift for all stakeholders.
Tourism can be a transformative change agent that inspires a shift in consciousness for the traveler to realize their role in upholding the values of regeneration. The paradigm shift to regeneration requires a change in how we think and see the world. Travel cannot continue to be measured by infinite growth. We need to collectively draw upon tourism to holistically make net-positive contributions to the well-being of all stakeholders in the ecosystem. This can only be accomplished by understanding the value in expanding our knowledge, presence, and relationship with a given community, and the ecosystems which support those communities.
The full report can be downloaded at: https://www.regenerativetravel.com/principles-whitepaper/
TAGS: Travel & Tourism