Regenerative Tourism
© UNESCO / Jacob Bock
(North-east Tobago UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Stock Footage Database)
What is Regenerative Tourism?
Regenerative tourism goes beyond sustainable tourism. Its main goal is for visitors to have a positive impact on their holiday destination, meaning that they leave it in a better condition than how they found it.
High Level Goal
Regenerative tourism significantly supports ecosystem health and services, sustainable green/blue/purple economic development, positive cultural heritage, well-being, fair income, and career opportunities for residents.
Current Situation
The pandemic, pollution, and destruction of ecosystems, as well as the sargassum influx, are having very negative effects. Pre-pandemic, tourism and fishing were the two main, yet very small, private economic sectors in North-east Tobago. While Tobago as a whole is data deficient regarding tourism, there are no disaggregated tourism data for North-east Tobago at all.
Priority Needs
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Application of regenerative tourism principles as the prime tool for tourism recovery.
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A strong appealing brand.
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New / upgraded tourism products and services.
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Tourism operators use regenerative tourism principles and the UNESCO designation as a marketing and sales tool.
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Responsible tourism certification schemes.
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Strong collaboration between the TOBIMA, Tobago Tourism Agency Limited (TTAL), and The Division of Tourism, Culture, Antiquities and Transport.
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Structured tourism data collection. Data needs to be publicly available and easily accessible.
Strategies
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Develop and implement a regenerative tourism plan masterplan;
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operationalise innovative and regenerative tourism products;
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conduct locally applicable, tourism-related research in collaboration with local and international academic institutions;
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adhere to sustainable land management, Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN), and green building (eg. LEED) principles;
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develop a strong and consistent tourism outreach programme;
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establish a multisectoral, standing tourism development committee;
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include regenerative tourism in vocational programmes; and
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establish and enforce a regulatory framework for shared economies.
Further Information: