Don’t mention the ‘S’ word – and 11 other actions to support responsible travel

Bachelor added: “The reality is that, for the people I talk to, it is important – but they’re not necessarily acting on it, not if it inconveniences them or costs them more.”

Methven said meaningful communication was key. “Even though I’m interested, I don’t know what one kilogramme of carbon is. It’s meaningless to customers.

"If we focus on the positives of responsible travel, saying, ‘we’ve got an impact, and we’re going to make it the best it can be’, we can almost take that away from the customer. We’re encouraging them to spend their money, so we take responsibility for it."

8) Measure tourism success in value, not volume

Volume has been a yardstick of success for destinations, but the Sustainability Forum highlighted other methods of measurement that emphasise value.

Rachel McQueen, Destination Canada's UK managing director, discussed the organisation’s new wealth and wellbeing index, which looks at data-driven measures of what tourism gives to local communities and guests.

“We’re hopeful the days are gone where we’re just trying to see a rise in people coming, but that people who do come are staying longer, travelling more responsibly, are exploring more communities and doing more when they come to Canada,” she insisted.

While conceding Destination Canada’s 2030 strategy, A World of Opportunity, is focused on growth, McQueen said at its heart it promoted growth "for the wealth and wellbeing of Canadians".

“We believe travel has an impact that can be viewed negatively but it can be positive," she added. "That kind of regenerative approach is critical to embed now. We’re already behind the scale of where we should be as a globe and we recognise that.”

9) From promotion to management of tourism

Speaking during a panel debating the effects of overtourism, taking in protests across Spain and the Balearics in recent months, Susanna Sciacovelli, director of tourism demand and hospitality for the Majorca Tourist Board, highlighted the 14 million tourists that visit Majorca every year against a backdrop of one million local residents on the island.

She said she was “not surprised about groundswell of opinion this year,” but discussed how in the case of Majorca, protests are about the decreasing quality of life for locals as opposed to being strictly "anti-tourist".

"For us, tourism is part of the solution, not the problem," she said. "It’s simplistic to talk about these demonstrations as being against tourism."

Sciacovelli added: “Of course, we can’t promote more tourism, we need to manage demand. Our objective is to manage coexistence between tourism and residents."

10) Tourists ‘a living representation of local frustrations’

Carol Rose, Abta’s head of sustainability, said during her two years so far in the industry, she felt travel is too often “transfixed by climate solutions and decarbonisation” and alluded to Abta’s broader sustainability focus, which encompasses nature and biodiversity.

“[Having] nature as our overarching principle allows us to focus on the people element and the prosperity tourism should bring, not just to travellers but also destinations," she said.

Rose characterised tourists as the “living representations of the frustration [locals] feel", adding there needed to be more proactive engagement by tour operators, destination managers and tourism ministers in these destinations.

Safer Tourism Foundation chief executive Kathy Atkinson agreed: “The protest is a symbol that people are feeling disempowered," she said. "But that protest is not at the individual tourist, it’s at the governance of the tourism industry in that destination.”

11) Treat the ‘small acorns’ responsibly and with respect

As part of the Spanish Tourist Board’s seasonal and geographical diversification strategy, Ruiz emphasised the redirection of tourism flows from traditional destinations to other parts of Spain, citing many examples, including former capital Valladolid hosting this year’s Aito conference in November.

Elena Perez, chief human resources and ESG officer at HBX Group, added: “We can use travel as a force for good. The traveller is more interested in these lesser-known destinations, and there are generations that are more in touch with sustainability. They are going to try and look for those destinations where they can connect and have those experiences.”

But Ruiz insisted on collaboration and cooperation with those local residents who “are in the learning and decision process for every single project”, with Perez echoing the sentiment of communities being “at the centre of design”.

12) ‘Sustainability isn't about putting a hotel in a push-up bra’

Managing director of marketing specialist Kemosabe, Rebecca Adair, talked about selling sustainability and making it "sexy". "Saying you want sexy is teeing you up to be the ‘dad at the disco’ – the reason it doesn’t work is because it feels a bit flippant and like you haven’t thought it through," she insisted.

“Sustainability isn’t about putting a hotel in a push-up bra. It’s about making it compelling and giving people that magnetic attraction – it’s making consumers feel ‘I want to do that'."

Adair added creativity and having a single message – “one golden arrow” – was key. “Don’t lead with sustainability. Be single-minded, and be creative."