Conferences have somehow become a regular part of my life. Increasingly, I find myself attending them as a speaker. I have always said that an event is worthwhile if I come away from it with at least one thought or idea that stays with me, shapes the way I think and inspires me to change something.<\/p>\n
Now I find myself on the other side. I think about how to weave messages into a presentation that will stay with the audience and make an impact. Most of these conferences focus on sustainability, sustainable tourism and the lessons we have learned through our own experience. Although I often find it frustrating that these events tend to attract people who are already convinced \u2014 leaving us all wondering how much impact conferences really have \u2014 I am also beginning to understand their purpose more clearly. They help us align our messages, learn from one another and encourage one another. In doing so, we build a shared message that grows stronger over time. Perhaps this is the only way we can create change and influence decisions at a global level. And that makes the weight of what we choose to say \u2014 and pass on to others \u2014 even greater.<\/p>\n
I am usually invited to conferences to speak about Slovenia\u2019s experience in developing sustainable tourism. With the Green Scheme of Slovenian Tourism and the Slovenia Green programme, the country has established itself among the world\u2019s leading examples of good practice. But after ten years of speaking about the same subject, it is not easy to keep creating presentations that offer something new and continue to inspire.<\/p>\n
As the number of presentations behind me has grown, I have increasingly found myself thinking that somewhere along the way towards sustainable solutions, we may have lost sight of what really matters. We have learned to speak the language of sustainability, but we often forget what that language actually means \u2014 and where the bigger picture lies.<\/p>\n
There is hardly a conference where we do not talk about the importance of tourism for residents\u2019 quality of life and the opportunities tourism can bring. We talk about communication, about how to educate our guests and bring them on board with sustainability. We talk about measuring, reducing and managing the impacts of tourism. We are drowning in schemes, certifications, requirements, guidelines, policies and directives. But is that really enough?<\/p>\n
Tourism exists because somewhere, someone spends an entire year dreaming about a holiday. About that moment when they close their laptop, put on their flip-flops and sun hat \u2014 or jump on a bike, strap on a pair of skis and head down a mountain. That person spends all year putting money aside, carefully studying our websites and dreaming about everything we so generously promise them. They \u201csee\u201d pristine nature and friendly locals ready to welcome them, cheerful staff smiling all day and anticipating their every wish, views that seem to belong to them alone and paths that promise to enchant them. Those of us who work in tourism are masters of promises. We stage photographs in which everyone is happy and smiling, where every \u201ctourist\u201d looks exactly the way we ourselves would like to look, where the view is always at its most spectacular and the photograph is taken at exactly the right moment of the day \u2014 all to make the promise even more irresistible. We write lofty texts celebrating extraordinary beauty and unforgettable experiences. We talk about sustainability and our commitment to nature and local communities.<\/p>\n
On paper, on screens and on posters, we are unbeatable. Dreamlike. The devil is in the detail, my grandmother used to tell me. The moment our tourist finally closes their laptop and sets off to experience all those promises, they often encounter a rather different reality. Beaches are never quite as empty as they were in the photographs, city centres are never perfectly lively yet effortlessly charming, and tired staff do not always have that same smile on their faces. Even unfriendly signs on buildings have become something that may no longer surprise us, but still disappoint us. The promise has been broken, and resentment can build quickly.<\/p>\n
We know what happens next. A poor rating, a negative review \u2014 and a disappointed guest suddenly has a weapon in their hands. Meanwhile, conferences fill their programmes with sessions on managing visitor flows and calculating carrying capacities. But have we ever stopped to ask ourselves why this is happening? It is almost funny how often we fail to connect cause and effect. On one side, advertisements, stories and images promising paradise. On the other, the reality of that same paradise, filled with disappointed visitors and frustrated residents. Do we really not see the connection? Perhaps the answer is not another strategy. Another mechanism, tool or certification. Perhaps the answer lies in honesty and responsible communication.<\/p>\n
Let me return to our now slightly disappointed guest and their holiday. A little crowding will not necessarily ruin the trip. Nature is still beautiful and there are still plenty of opportunities for wonderful experiences. And because this is a responsible traveller, aware of their own footprint, perhaps they have deliberately chosen a sustainable destination and a sustainable hotel \u2014 or at least one that presents itself as such. They may not really understand all the certifications, and they may quite reasonably be somewhat sceptical of them. But still.<\/p>\n
Whenever I talk to tourism providers about sustainability, everyone talks about the importance of communication. They explain how important it is for guests to understand what we are doing, to understand their own role in sustainability, and how important it is that we educate and encourage them to adopt good habits and take those habits home with them. Really? Someone has spent the entire year dreaming about a holiday in our destination, in our hotel. In everyday life, they are already constantly being educated, lectured, restricted and penalised if they fail to separate their waste correctly or behave in the expected way. And now we expect them to bring all those restrictions with them on holiday as well? Into that one part of the year that is supposed to be about dreams and a well-earned break?<\/p>\n
Tourism is the only industry where providing a service requires not only the customer\u2019s money, but also their time \u2014 and, above all, an enormous amount of trust. Is this really the right moment to educate people and impose restrictions? Should this not be the moment when it is up to us to deliver on our promises and take responsibility for protecting nature, the environment, culture and society, rather than placing that responsibility on the shoulders of the tourist? Is it not time to make sustainability the default setting of our business rather than something that requires additional effort, responsibility and discipline from the guest? Why do we believe that it is the guest\u2019s responsibility to protect and preserve what belongs to us \u2014 the very things our tourism product is built on and the very things that generate our revenue and profit? Is that not our responsibility?<\/p>\n
Would it not be better if communicating sustainability meant telling stories about the things that make our tourism sustainable, rather than communicating restrictions, expectations and the responsibilities of everyone who enters our space? Would that not make the invitation more honest and more interesting? More effective? How much more effective would it be if a guest actually had to make an effort to have an unsustainable holiday, rather than being repeatedly told to protect the environment and expected to overcome an inherently unsustainable tourism system through their own sustainable choices?<\/p>\n
Of course, the guest is not the only person in this equation. So let us look at tourism from the perspective of the destination as well. Sustainable tourism teaches us about the importance of residents\u2019 quality of life. But what does that really mean? Yes, tourism brings revenue into local communities. It creates opportunities, generates tourist-tax income and drives investment in solutions designed to benefit both residents and visitors. But have we ever taken a step back? Imagine I am an investor. After careful analysis, I conclude that it \u201cmakes sense\u201d to invest in a new hotel in a destination. I build the hotel and invite guests to stay. I talk about the beautiful rooms overlooking the city, the hotel\u2019s facilities and, of course, the city itself. Once our tourist arrives, they are obviously not going to spend 24 hours a day sitting in their hotel room. They will explore the city and its surroundings, trying to experience as many of the promises they have purchased as possible. Souvenir sellers, caf\u00e9s and restaurants will rub their hands with delight and welcome the visitor enthusiastically.<\/p>\n
But what about the resident who gains nothing from that tourist except having their way blocked while cycling from home to work? Will tourism really improve that person\u2019s quality of life? We all know that the cost of services, property and everyday living in tourism destinations can soar. Whether we like it or not, tourism often sells something it does not actually own. The hotelier who builds a hotel owns only the land on which the hotel stands. And just as tourism is the only industry that asks more of its customer than money alone, it is also an industry that sells something that does not truly belong to it. It sells a city, a town, a destination \u2014 and even all those \u201cfriendly locals\u201d who are, in reality, the people to whom that place belongs. They call it my city. They were born there and grew up there. They went to school there, used its services and facilities, built their families there and perhaps their businesses too. They pay their taxes there, create opportunities there and fulfil their responsibilities there. So who has the right to sell their streets and hidden corners, their views and favourite meeting places to someone else? The hotel owner? The destination manager? The owner of an attraction? Who \u2014 and with whose permission?<\/p>\n
I know some of this may sound a little extreme. And yet. When people ask me at conferences what sustainable tourism is, this is my answer. This is sustainable tourism. Taking responsibility. Keeping our promises. Honesty. And above all, inclusion and a genuine understanding of what it means to develop tourism. We all travel, but that does not make us tourism professionals. And yes, opening a few guest rooms or building a hotel can sound very simple. How difficult can it be? Anyone can do that. But does everyone truly understand what it means \u2014 and what they create by doing it? My grandmother always used to say: no matter which way you turn, your back is always behind you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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