Global tourism is making a striking comeback surpassing pre-pandemic levels. But as international travel surges, sustainability challenges have come into sharp focus. At this year's World Travel Market in London, industry leaders gathered to discuss the future of travel and the challenges ahead.
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00:00Global tourism is bouncing back, breaking pre-pandemic levels. But what does it all
00:10mean for an industry in the sustainability spotlight? We're here at the World Travel
00:15Market trade event in London to find out.
00:25From India to Iceland, Thailand to Turkey, this year's WTM is the biggest ever with 4,000
00:33exhibitors. The global gathering coming as new data reveals a huge rebound in travel
00:39since the pandemic.
00:41One and a half billion global arrivals are expected for this year. By the end of the
00:45decade, we expect that to get up to two billion arrivals worldwide. People are absolutely
00:51prioritizing travel over other forms of spending. Experiences are being prioritized over things.
00:57But where does this leave efforts to tackle overcrowding? In some European destinations,
01:03there have been anti-tourism protests amid community concerns over things like environmental
01:09damage and rising rental prices. In Croatia, a law is now being brought in to reduce short-term
01:16holiday rentals in residential areas.
01:22Travelers are increasingly wanting to help regenerate places when they visit, giving
01:27something back. And the sustainability conversation in the industry is evolving from net zero
01:34to net positive.
01:36Any one of us, when we travel, we want to experience something new, which is regenerative
01:41for the soul. But also, when you perceive the situation from the side of managing the
01:46tourist industry, we also need to make sure that the environment and the tourist product
01:53regenerates itself. The sustainability of tourism is extremely important for us especially.
02:00Japan is among many countries now actively promoting regenerative activities and experiences.
02:07For example, City Asso in Kyushu Island, they are offering visitors to take part in
02:14their conservation activities, like creating fire bricks. And after these activities, visitors
02:24will be invited to connect with the local farmers.
02:28Uzbekistan is an emerging destination, offering stunning architecture and rich history. And
02:41as the country looks to attract more travelers, it too is putting a focus on communities.
02:49There are very much underdeveloped areas. By us opening those destinations, we are very
02:53much helping the local communities. We are opening their eyes on opportunities. We are
02:57helping them start small businesses. We are doing a lot of local experiences using people's
03:02houses to host people for lunches, for dinner. And this is for me all falls within what we
03:08call the sustainable business.
03:14Tokyo has long drawn visitors, magnetized by all the buzzing city has to offer. But
03:20as the industry looks to manage tourism flows and satisfy a growing demand for unique experiences,
03:27it's also promoting hidden gems beyond the traditional attractions.
03:32We recommend beautiful mountainous areas in the western part of Tokyo, where you can enjoy
03:39hiking, grunting, and so on. And also we have 11 inhabited islands in Tokyo, where you can
03:47see beautiful sandy beaches, volcanic landscapes, and it's totally different from your typical
03:55image of Tokyo.
04:01Movie and TV tourism, or set jetting as it's become known, is taking travelers off the
04:06beaten track too, in countries like Thailand, where the trend is growing.
04:12Nowadays we've got many movies, big movies come to Thailand, such as White Lotus season
04:203. We create the follow the movie trail route, so they can go to the location shooting and
04:31acting like the movie star. Of course we promote facility around there, also the new destination
04:38around there.
04:43Global tourism is back, but now the industry is under pressure to prove that it can be
04:49a force for good.