Sustainable Tourism Development: Key Trends and Priorities in 2023

Raj Gyawali - TTC Ambassador in Nepal

2023 Travel Trends

The Transformational Travel Council is slowly getting traction as a global group of thought leaders and action heads in the world of sustainable and regenerative tourism. Ideas and practices that come out of this group are going to be relevant moving into mainstreaming sustainability in tourism.

• Green fuel in aviation is becoming more and more relevant in balancing the carbon footprint caused by aviation and the requirement of this important sector in tourism. It is going to be a game changer and might become bigger than carbon offsets.

• Measurement of sustainability is an upcoming trend, and several players are making tools to measure the sustainability of tourism in practice. It is going to start making tourism greener and more transparent.

• The concept of living in moderation is also a futuristic lifestyle choice that is gaining traction in more mindful countries. It will reduce unnecessary travel and make it more mindful, leading to more sustainable options. This opens doors for more mindful experiences to be developed in the destination as opposed to pure pleasure tourism.

• The movement into digital will grow – as we move from Generation X to Generation Z and Alpha.
  More and more information on travel has to come digitally and with even less attention span. It is a huge challenge.

Priorities for Travel Companies

• Develop more mindful experiences that are experiential – the new generation is keen and is actively seeking them.

• Keep companies agile – quick movers will gain – gone are the times of settling in. Short opportunities will come that are up for grabs and will move fast.

• Start measurements and transparency in sustainability as very high priorities. Early adopters will benefit from it.

• Not just offering to customers but also engaging in responsible behaviour actively.