Tourism is at a standstill, isn't it? From the traveler's perspective, not much is really happening at the moment. Does the standstill and the economic struggle for survival of the tourism industry fully describe the current situation? Well, only superficially, because other realities also exist: AirBnB did its biggest IPO of the year in the U.S. shortly before Christmas – in the midst of a deep lockdown. And while the majority of aircrafts are still grounded, 30 new airlines will take off soon. In many countries of the global south, excavators are rolling out, bulldozing land for new hotels and large theme parks – in some instances in the face of fierce opposition from local residents fighting for their rights to land.
What makes us hopeful that things are moving in the direction of better, more sustainable tourism after all? It is the companies and initiatives that we present to you in this newsletter: A Community tourism initaive from Chile, a network of tourism businesses that develop plans to tackle the climate emergency and hotels that start the first time to develop disaster response plans. They are making the best of the crisis. Despite or perhaps because of COVID-19 – they are beginning to increase their resilience. In doing so, they are preparing for the fact that the future will hold more crises. But their engagement also demonstrates optimism that it is worth continuing. How do we measure the progress to a better future of tourism? In his article, Martin Balaš demands for a more engaged thinking on indicators for tourism success.
The upcoming ITB - this year completely digital and as a trade visitor fair without public days - allows a look into the tourism present and future. And the picture is diverse, as my comment shows: It seems that there is an open race for the future of tourism between the old, exploitative tourism model and a new thinking of regeneration and sustainability.
We will be participating at ITB with a digital booth, at trade forums and panel discussions. With a guest voucher, you can visit us free of charge at the video booth. Register for it with this code ITBNOW-HCKVH6YMLGZ7NDLH at www.itb.com/NOW.
