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Beyond Borders: How 'Destination Regeneration' is defining the future of travel

Travel with Purpose took centre stage at the inaugural Australian Travel Industry Association (ATIA) Beyond Borders Summit last Friday in Sydney, where industry leaders gathered to discuss regenerative tourism and its long-term benefits for the travel sector and the planet.

Travel with Purpose took centre stage at the inaugural Australian Travel Industry Association (ATIA) Beyond Borders Summit last Friday in Sydney, where industry leaders gathered to discuss regenerative tourism and its long-term benefits for the travel sector and the planet.

Moderated by Charlie Trevena of Destination Webinars, the passion-led session featured valuable insights from influential travel leaders: Phillipa Harrison, Managing Director of Tourism Australia; Julie King, Founder & CEO of Julie King & Associates, and Toni Ambler, Managing Director of Oceania at TTC Tour Brands.

Kicking off the discussion, Trevena introduced the definition of regenerative tourism versus sustainability, highlighting its growing relevance in travel. “If sustainability is about not making things worse, then regenerative tourism is about making things better,” she explained.

Phillipa Harrison, Managing Director of Tourism Australia, agreed, noting that while the term is relatively new, the practice is not. “The tourism industry has always been involved in regenerative tourism. It’s a new name, but it’s an old concept because the industry has always been involved in giving back, not only to the places that tourists visit but also to their communities,” she said.

Anangu-People-Uluru - Tourism Australia
Anangu People, Uluru. Image: Tourism Australia

Harrison emphasised the role small and medium-sized businesses, which make up 95% of the Australian tourism industry, play in regenerative tourism. “They’ve mortgaged their houses on their businesses. They are the lifeblood of their communities. So, you know, they are really, I guess, the poster children for Regenerative tourism. So none of that is really new to us,” said Harrison.

“What is new and different in the domestic marketing space or our product offering is around our First Nations tourism. And over the last decade, we’ve seen a massive development in that there are so many more authentic and different experiences.”

“It’s no longer going to a cultural show.” Instead, said Harrison, “You could climb the Harbour Bridge and learn about Sydney before the Opera House was there. You can go sandboarding in Port Stevens. You can go crabbing in Cairns while learning about our Indigenous culture. And what that means, from a regenerative point of view, is that those traditional owner groups are keeping their languages alive. They’re keeping their cultures alive, and they’re living on Country.”

Harrison believes this surge in interest helps build the sector and enrich the travel experiences of both domestic and international visitors. “It’s really growing,” she said. “When we tell international audiences about how great these experiences are, it increases interest, which helps build that sector.”

Julie King, Founder and CEO of Julie King & Associates, highlighted Canada’s 2030 tourism strategy, which balances economic prosperity, environmental stewardship, and social inclusivity. “We want to ensure our industry thrives while contributing positively to the wealth and wellbeing of Canada,” she explained.

“Our strategy envisions a regenerative tourism model that focuses on restoring and revitalising our destinations and strengthening local communities.”

Canada is ensuring that communities benefit from the promotion of community-led and Indigenous experiences, ensuring tourism dollars contribute to the longevity of local cultures.

“This approach ensures that people can continue to live and work in their hometowns without needing to relocate while also fostering the growth of local communities and preserving the natural and cultural treasures that define tourism in Canada,” said King.

Expanding further, King said, “Australian travellers seek out Indigenous experiences to have authentic and meaningful travel experiences. They want to learn about local culture but also know that by visiting or engaging in an experience, they are giving back. We have seen this reflected in the product offering featured by our tour operator partners.”

Tackling overtourism in Europe

Beyond Borders Summit Sydney. Image: Event Photos
Beyond Borders Summit Sydney. Image: Event Photos

Beaming the spotlight on the world’s tourism hotspots, Toni Ambler, who represents global touring brands for The Travel Corporation, discussed Europe’s unique challenges, particularly in combating overtourism. With the exponential growth of post-pandemic travel, overtourism has again become a burning issue in popular destinations like Barcelona and Mallorca. “Regulation is coming,” Ambler warned, noting that tour operators must adapt to new sustainability requirements.

“For us as tour operators, it’s probably going to hit us first in terms of how we need to change our practices in Europe to be able to adapt. The business model will have to be that it’s not about doing good and doing it for the right reasons anymore; it’s actually going to be mandated to ensure that we are sustainably operating in Europe,” said Ambler.

Offsetting the challenges, Ambler highlighted the success of Treadright’s Annual Impact Report and partnerships with organisations like Visit Scotland, where data-driven sustainability strategies are helping to minimise tourism’s environmental footprint. One of the initiatives Ambler spotlighted was the company’s “Make Travel Matter” program, built into 80% of TTC’s itineraries. This program integrates farm-to-table meals, immersive cultural experiences, and other sustainable practices into their trips—ensuring travel is both enjoyable and regenerative.

The role of the travel trade

As the conversation progressed, the focus turned to how the travel trade can play a role in promoting regenerative tourism. Harrison stressed that it’s essential for travel brands and agents to be educated on sustainability, noting that Tourism Australia runs 43 global events annually, all of which are carbon-neutral.

“We make sure that our house is in order first,” shared Harrison. “That’s not just a nice to have. It’s an expectation from our industry, but we also tell the story through our media and our PR.”

Tourism Australia also focuses on educating travel agents through platforms like its Aussie Specialist Program, which now has 34,000 qualified members worldwide.

King added that Destination Canada has created a strategic advisory group composed of key trade partners already on a regenerative path. These partners have committed to a pledge developed by Destination Canada’s Office in Australia, with plans to launch this initiative globally.

“We’ve got businesses from across airlines, tour operators, quite a few people in this room, and niche operators as well, who are all part of this group. We’re extremely grateful for the contribution they give us and what their role is going to be as they help us flesh out our approach and strategy in this market,” said King.

The group will focus on rallying the Australian travel industry to align with Destination Canada’s 2030 vision of transforming tourism into a force for good and creating a lasting positive legacy.

Shifting consumer perceptions

One of the biggest hurdles, according to Ambler, is shifting consumer perceptions around sustainability. Research shows that while travellers—particularly younger ones—are passionate about sustainability, there’s still a belief that responsible travel is more expensive or less accessible. This misconception presents a challenge for both travel brands and agents in communicating the benefits of regenerative travel without overwhelming customers with jargon.

“When you start talking about carbon funds and science-based targets, you lose your customers. So we’re trying to make it incredibly easy for the industry to know who the suppliers making positive changes are. There are a lot of people in the land sector doing a lot of good work,” said Ambler.

“We need to make it easy and enjoyable,” Ambler explained. “It’s not meant to be a heavy lift, and it doesn’t have to be more expensive.”

Both Harrison and King shared inspiring examples of regenerative tourism in action. Harrison highlighted the role of tourism operators on the Great Barrier Reef, who contribute to the reef’s preservation through The Citizens of the Reef program and their science initiatives. Tourists can now actively participate in conservation efforts, mapping the reef or helping categorise marine life images, providing essential data to inform preservation strategies.

King, on the other hand, spoke about Destination Canada’s work with Canadian communities in their activations in Australia, connecting them with Australian businesses to create impact.

She highlighted Polar Bears International, headquartered in Churchill, Manitoba, known as the polar bear capital of the world; one such example is the leaders in polar bear conservation who are dedicated to the conservation of polar bears and the sea ice they depend on.

“In partnership with Adventure World, we provided a platform in Australia for Polar Bear International to educate the travel industry about their conservation efforts and the impact of climate change and a donation was made to support their projects of impact,” she said.

Collaboration is key

Beyond Borders Karryon Destination Regeneration
Beyond Borders Summit Sydney. Image: Event Photos

Wrapping up the session, the panellists agreed on one key takeaway: collaboration is essential for driving sustainable travel practices forward. Whether it’s between tour operators and destinations or between the travel trade and customers, the future of travel relies on collective action.

Harrison encouraged the industry to take small steps. “It’s progress, not perfection,” she said, adding that Tourism Australia’s partnership with EcoTourism Australia offers practical tips for businesses to begin their sustainability journey.

King echoed this sentiment, emphasising the importance of working together to expedite progress, saying, “For a lot of people to get started on the journey, it can appear very daunting, but we’ve got an incredible amount of resources in this room. Collaboration is what will get us there faster.”

Ambler landed on two key points: “Patience and knowledge would be my two tips to the industry. Patience because we’re all in commercial roles, and we work at a pace and want results. The reality is that this is going to be a long journey, and we should not give up on what we need to achieve as an industry.”

“And the second point is knowledge. If you look at fast fashion, we’re not going to convince consumers not to buy fast fashion, but the responsibility is on H&M or Zara to change the way in which they create products and give them to consumers. It is the same for the travel industry. We’re not going to convince them not to go to Paris or Barcelona, but we need to figure out a really good way to do it sustainably.”

The inaugural Beyond Borders Summit preceded a huge weekend for ATIA and the travel industry, with the National Travel Industry Awards (NTIA) gala taking place on Saturday evening. The official NTIA Finalists Party kicked off proceedings on Friday night, followed by Karryon’s own Glam Club event just prior to the awards night on Saturday afternoon at The W Hotel in Sydney.

Read on for all the NTIA 2024 winners here.

For all the NTIA paparazzi photos and more, head to Karryon’s Facebook page here.

For those interested in aligning with Destination Canada’s strategy and engaging with the pledge, reach out to Julie King at julie.king@jkingassociates.com