Can Regenerative Travel Save the World?

The term 'regenerative' is synonymous with words like revival or regrowth. Rather than simply refilling a fixed resource or leaving something alone to eventually allow it to come back to its natural state, regeneration implies additional support to encourage thriving.

Understanding "Regenerative"

This term has been used in a variety of different fields and applications, from agriculture to design. In general, the practice seeks to not only stop and reverse damages that have been done, but to set up systems that are resilient and self-sustaining. For example, regenerative agriculture attempts to restore degraded soils by rebuilding organic matter levels and improving biodiversity, which in turn helps to naturally maintain soil nutrients and attract pollinators.

The Impact of Tourism

In an era where anthropogenic impacts to the environment have become increasingly harmful, the travel industry cannot be overlooked. Tourism is a fundamental part of the global economy. In 2019, the World Travel & Tourism Council reported that it accounted for over 10% of global GDP, supporting 330 million jobs. However, as with any major industry, it has also resulted in social harm and environmental degradation in the form of excessive resource use, waste, biodiversity loss, gentrification, and ensuing displacement.

Even with growing awareness of the negative impacts of tourism and some famed tourist destinations like Venice, Italy, and Greece imposing fees or quotas to try to curb crowds, the tourism industry continues to grow. Recent surveys show that Millenials and Gen. Z are more likely to spend their money on travel and tourism than traditional consumer products.

Enter Regenerative Travel

Regenerative travel goes beyond simply treading lightly where one visits and focuses on supporting industry practices that catalyze major changes to the status quo, and positively impact far-reaching places on the planet, covering environmental, economic, and social benefits.

For example, when tourism businesses support local conservation efforts, important ecosystems and biodiversity can be restored. This helps to support the intrinsic value of a healthy ecosystem as well as the services that they can provide to humans, like carbon sequestration. Direct benefits to the tourism industry are realized by attracting visitors who want to experience the wildlife and beautiful natural areas. There are also longer term indirect benefits like a more stable or predictable climate (if carbon emissions are reduced) that make it easier for travel businesses to plan excursions or prepare for predicted resource fluctuations. Another aspect of regenerative travel involves engaging with the local community in the form of employment, support for education programs, and sustainable development initiatives like solar power or water recycling. This provides economic benefits, community resilience, and reduces displacement, but it also helps to foster environmental stewardship as socio-economic well-being becomes intertwined with thriving ecosystems. Establishing systems that support local communities can also help to promote cultural exchange and understanding over appropriation and erasure. The necessity of a mindful, holistic approach to traveling only becomes more important as the industry expands and the impacts of our actions multiply. Choosing a tourism operator that prioritizes sustainable practices has the potential to provide a broader range of benefits to both people and the planet. Mitigating the harm that tourism can cause is undeniably important, but actively healing and improving the places we visit must become the new standard.