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While sustainability has now become well-integrated in the global tourism experience, the collective mindset is beginning to shift to something more advanced: regenerative tourism.
In a nutshell, regenerative tourism invites all stakeholders from providers to travellers to take a look at the big picture to gain a better understanding of how we as humans are inextricably connected to the natural world.
Not only is the change in mindset good for the psyche, but it’s also good for business: a March 2025 piece from The Buzz Business reports that the regenerative tourism sector was worth around US$2.5 trillion and the amount could easily double by the end of the current decade.
But if regenerative tourism is such a big sector, then why isn’t it a bigger buzzword in the industry?
As in any industry, this aspect of global tourism also has several key challenges it needs to address to further drive its growth.
Defining regenerative tourism
As an overarching concept, Conscious Travel founder Anna Pollock defines regeneration as a state wherein we grow the things that matter most to us in ways that benefit the entire system and never at the expense of others.
Within this context, regenerative tourism may be defined as a form of tourism whose core practices benefit all stakeholders involved without taking advantage of anyone, least of all the environment and local host communities.
Indeed, Pollock writes:
“We should not forget that, at the heart of the travel and hospitality domain, the core source of value rests in the nature and quality of the encounter between two parties, the guest and host, that occurs in a unique setting, the place. A regenerative approach would enable that to be a rich exchange… involving all aspects of each person’s being and one that is symbiotic, mutually beneficial and, ideally, infused with meaning.”
Issues to address
But while this is noble in theory, the practice of regenerative tourism often gets hindered by five stumbling blocks:
- Inertia regarding policy and industrial structure Admittedly, current industrial and corporate frameworks for travel and tourism tend to make short-term economic gains their main priority whilst putting long-term improvements for environmental protection and the welfare of local communities on the backburner. While profitable at first, this detrimental way of thinking shows its devastating effects over time;
- Difficulties in shifting industry culture and mindset Related to the first item, it feels like global tourism continues to resist the shift from volume to value, especially given how volume-centric metrics like arrival targets remain the norm industry-wide. At the same time, tourism boards and private enterprises alike are hard pressed on how to measure the success of initiatives related to regenerative tourism, especially in terms of environmental recovery, community vitality, and overall resilience;
- There is no communal framework One challenge that seriously needs to be addressed is the almost complete lack of a proper framework governing the practice of regenerative tourism. While it does stem from a sustainability perspective, the fact that it is a nascent development means that much of what is in place remains conceptual, thus requiring both further study and adjustments based on current ways of practical application;
- A lack of resources Undertakings regarding regenerative tourism require significant amounts of funding, along with more organised management and the training of relevant human resources. To date, however, much of that comes from the private sector, thus limiting the range of related initiatives; and
- An imbalance in terms of stakeholder participation A lack of a viable working framework also means that the involvement of key stakeholders is not evenly distributed and improperly aligned. As a result, this leads to challenges in terms of determining which interests come first and which areas to be given priority.
While those issues do make it seem that regenerative tourism is a daunting task, keep in mind that these are properly addressed through properly-considered partnerships between the public and private sectors who need to work in tandem to ensure that goals are met.
Also, the change of mindset will certainly take time; but if it results in a form of tourism where everyone benefits and the integrity of nature and culture is preserved, then the efforts will be well worth it.
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