Social Sustainability
COMMUNITY CONSCIOUS TRAVEL
Community Conscious Travel is WTTC’s latest global campaign to raise awareness and inspire action to protect the delicate balance between resident quality of life, traveller experience, and the environment of the destinations we love. Together, we aim to help ensure communities understand the positive social impact Travel & Tourism can have and leverage this power to thrive and grow sustainably.
Our journey starts here.
Experience
We educate travellers on how they can benefit from a more authentic experience by making small changes, such as travelling in the Slow Season.
Impact
We explore the genuinely positive social impact responsible Travel & Tourism can have on communities, culture and heritage when done right.
Action
We discuss how collaboration between the public and private sectors can lead to positive change and call on the sector at large to share learnings and replicable solutions.
First stop - Discovering Community Conscious Travel in Italy, in partnership with IC Bellagio
In 2019, the Italian Travel & Tourism sector contributed US$227 billion to the economy: over 10% of the economy. This reduced by almost 40% in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But World Travel & Tourism Council research shows that by 2023, the sector had already recovered to above 2019 levels. Now, Italy and the sector at large face the challenge of ensuring this return to form is a positive experience for guests and communities alike. Andrea Grisdale, WTTC Member & CEO IC Bellagio has spearheaded this movement alongside WTTC.
Experience
Why Slow Season is the perfect time to visit Venice
It’s a beautiful winter’s day in Venice, and Luca, a young Venetian tour guide shares the joy of Slow Season in Venice. Whether it’s taking a gondola ride, marvelling at ancient Venetian crafts, or savouring Venetian delicacies with the locals, visiting Venice off-season means an authentic, local experience without the crowds. Luca shares his hopes for leading the next generation of Venetians, working to ensure tourism in Venice is balanced and in harmony with residents’ quality of life.
Impact
How Tourism can help to preserve cultural heritage in Venice
On Murano Island, Maestro Fabio Fornasier, the son of a renowned glass artisan and owner of Lu Murano, is preparing his teenage son to become the next generation’s Maestro of Murano glass. Across the canals, Emiliano Simon, one of the founders of Venetian rowing and boating association Venice on Board prepares to share the ancient tradition of the ‘Venetian Voga’, a traditional way of navigating the city’s beautiful corridors of canals. We hear Emiliano and Fabio speak to how, while much of preserving culture and history happens in museums and galleries, the Voga alla Veneta and Murano glass are also kept alive by the investment of travellers committed to truly authentic Venetian culture and experiences.
Community Conscious Travel: A call to Action
We sit down with WTTC Member Andrea Grisdale, CEO, IC Bellagio, Giulia Bandini, CEO, Cogito Strategies, and Davide Ballardini, Director of Sales & Marketing at Park Hyatt Milano, to explore in what ways Travel & Tourism is supported by both the public and private sector, and what actions could be taken collaboratively to tackle this important issue. We discuss how education surrounding the benefits of Community Conscious Travel is fundamental to ensuring new habits are formed, how beneficial dispersal can be in spreading the opportunities that travel can bring and relieving pressure in high-traffic areas, and how much opportunity exists for both visitors and businesses thanks to Slow Season travel.
Action
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Responsible Travel & Tourism
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