Another new word, another new concept... But why talk about regenerative tourism when we already have our hands full with responsible and sustainable tourism? And how can regenerative tourism be a solution for revitalizing a region and making it healthier?
Because aiming for sustainable tourism is obviously necessary, even essential to the continuation of our activities, but may not be enough to bring real long-term prosperity to our territories and communities. Indeed, the notion of "sustainable" implies keeping things "as is", as they are, without degrading them further.
But that's forgetting that very few of us actually undertake this major effort to improve our practices, not to mention greenwashing or simple ignorance of the derivative effects of some of our actions. Let's not forget that most of our efforts will never be enough to significantly alter the trajectory of our activities towards a general shutdown, and that it's futile to imagine that science will save us from ourselves.
So we need to find "something else". And to do it well, we might as well do something that corresponds to what we like, what we want to do, that makes us happy, that makes us feel good, that deeply stimulates what we really want to express deep down inside.
When we talk about tourism and attractiveness, we associate it with the notion of heritage, whether tangible or intangible, cultural, historical, natural or human. Heritage plays a major role in a destination's appeal. And heritage is a long-term value, both in time and space. That's why it's so important to broaden our vision and give tourism a special scope, which will enable us to carry out activities and share this heritage in a reasoned and balanced way for many centuries to come.
Fundamental questions then arise: what can we do to conserve and preserve this heritage, which is essential to our activities today, but also to make it bear fruit in a sustainable way, for our quality of life and our future activities, as well as those of our children?
This is where regenerative tourism comes in.
Regeneration is a natural phenomenon common to all living organisms, enabling them to repair and reconstitute themselves when partially injured or damaged. This phenomenon is true of all living beings, whether human, animal, plant or ecosystem. When you break your leg or cut yourself, the bone will heal and the skin will heal. When you damage an ecosystem and leave it alone for a while, it gradually rebuilds itself. This was the principle behind the fallow system, which left fields free from any seeding, with a system of rotation over several years, and it can also be applied to the return of birds to urban spaces during the Covid-19 confinement.
However, regeneration presupposes 2 essential conditions: firstly, that the system is only partially damaged so that it can regenerate - with a few exceptions, such as starfish, which can reconstitute itself from a segment - and secondly, that the reconstitution is given time to operate. If you try to walk without waiting for the bone in your broken leg to be repaired, for example, there's a good chance it will break again.
A 3rd condition would also be to accept that regeneration does not exactly reconstruct the living being in the same way as the initial version. Different scars, formations and reassemblies may appear, all contributing to the creation of a new reality.
Let's start with a simple 3-point observation:
Hence the major idea of starting by reconfiguring our vision of the world rather than trying to improve the current one, which has shown its limits, imbalances and inequities.
The notion of regeneration reveals two very different worldviews:
The mechanistic vision consists of acting as if we were overpowered and possessive of everything, in the way we behave and carry out our activities. Everything starts from desire, which I have to satisfy: when I want something, I take it, I use it, then I throw it away, and I take up a new desired thing to which I subject the same fate.
It doesn't matter what this "thing" is, whether it's mineral, vegetable, animal or even human, whether it's a water resource or a consumer item. The important thing is that I want it, and that I grant myself the right to possess and use it.
This type of behavior is akin to childish behavior, linked to the child's over-power. It implies a notion of finitude, since by using what I want, I consume it and destroy its value. I generate deficiencies by using exhaustible resources from my environment, and pollution by rejecting what I've consumed. This is the (simplified) principle of the linear economy. And the Earth does not have infinite resources to keep up with this pace in the medium term...
This mechanistic vision is that of a world in silos, organized, rational, compartmentalized, standardized, controlled, predictable and linear, in which the law of the strongest and individualism prevails - consume who can! succeed who can!
It's a vision of a world preoccupied with the immediate satisfaction of futile desires and accumulation, rather than that of essential needs - a way of life reserved for the richest or luckiest populations, which generates exclusion, inequity and suffering.
This is the world we live in today, a world that can only exist through the growth and amplification of our consumption, a world that splits and separates, that measures success by the yardstick of performance and accumulation, and that conditions our compartmentalized ways of learning, caring, feeding, working and comparing ourselves. It's an individualistic world that consumes and destroys its own resources with no ambition for tomorrow. It's the world we've learned to accept and manage, and which neglects the majority of us.
Frankly, it's not a very desirable world.
Our vision of the living world is much more systemic and joyful. It takes a respectful approach to ecosystems and their capacity for regeneration. It's as much about the whole as it is about each element of the whole, about you, about me, about who we are together.
Please note that when we talk about living beings and ecosystems, we're not separating good nature from bad humans! Yes, let's remember that we are an integral part of the living world: it is our substratum, and we are part of it. Take a look at a photo of the Earth taken from space... That's living things! And we're definitely part of it.
Living organisms function in self-organizing ecosystems that adapt to changes in their environment, are balanced and produce no waste. Each one is unique, and all are constantly evolving, on pain of extinction.
Like living ecosystems, the regenerative vision aims for the prosperity of the whole and of each element making up the ecosystem, and encourages collaboration in networks to provide resilient, even unusual, collective solutions in a constantly changing world.
It creates theemergence of solutions that exceed initial expectations and are perfectly adapted to a world that has become VICA*.
It's an exciting, propulsive and happy vision that creates links and strengthens ecosystems and their evolution towards shared prosperity .
It encouragesexperimentation and continuous learning from observation, practiced with humility.
The regenerative vision is fundamentally more adult and mature than the previous one, allowing for an infinite cycle by integrating the rhythms of reconstruction and regeneration into consumption. It is also based on a circular economy, which reinjects into the production cycle and reuses what it has used without destroying or reconstituting it. This is a long-term vision...
It gives pride of place to needs rather than desires - and in needs, I include the taste for beauty, harmony, peace, leisure, travel, discovery and reconnection with oneself. This regenerative vision incorporates what I call "happy", voluntary frugality, which is not the result of restriction or lack, but of conscious , freely-consented choice . It leaves room for individual talent and skills, for difference, and which, combined together, form a diversity of expressions that can not only meet the various needs of the moment, but also provide solutions for resilience and adaptation in the longer term.
The regenerative vision brings together and respects the diversity of each person, with each individual contribution helping to make up the whole. It promotes personal fulfillment in the service of the prosperity of the whole. It is based on an approach to the living, which we are, despite the fact that we have forgotten it.
The main idea is to consider what tourism can bring to the area it exploits. As you will have gathered from the preceding paragraphs, the aim is not to consider only an environmental aspect to this approach, but rather to give it a holistic, global and coherent outlook. It's about "repairing" previous damage, and even taking advantage of the momentum of concerted reflection between all the stakeholders in a territory, to go further and imagine together the present and future they want for their destination, to rethink its relationship with its visitors, to integrate environmental concerns and an approach geared towards the well-being of its communities.
Regenerative tourism is not a tourism niche, like "adventure tourism" for example. There's no 10-point, 20-indicator checklist to get you there. Rather, it's a holistic way of thinking and a transformational approach, based on shared meaning and values. Co-created by local communities who want their places and visitors to flourish, they come together to evoke the unique essence of their territory and find ways to conduct activities that guarantee their lifestyles in a harmonious environment, in a sustainable way. It's a true exploration of possibilities and aspirations, just like tourism itself!
How can tourism contribute to the prosperity of the area and its activities? How can it create links between humans, between and with the different kingdoms - mineral, plant and animal - and promote solidarity and sharing, respect and attentiveness to the needs of other ecosystem stakeholders? And how can it enable everyone, human or otherwise, to prosper, providing jobs and income, healthy resources and spaces, places to live and create, to continue sustainably maintaining and enhancing the place?
Regenerative tourism serves life and sustains the planet so that all beings can flourish.
But it's not just that.
Love of the place where you live, work, study, develop your projects, rest and retire.
The love of those who share it with us, in the cocoon of nature that welcomes us.
Love that leads to respect, gratitude and recognition of everyone's place in the shared ecosystem that we will voluntarily take the greatest care of.
Love, recognition and gratitude for being able to carry out our activities here, whether tourism-related or not, taking advantage of its fundamental riches, and sharing the wonders of this place with those who are interested.
Regenerative tourism will draw on people's passion , the incredible force that drives those who love their territory, to trigger and drive the most ambitious and incredible projects, capable of bringing to places that extra soul that nourishes life.
A territory is unique; a destination is unique. No matter what scale you give it - building, village, valley, region, province, country - there's nowhere else like it. So the first step is to define who we are in this territory, each individually and all collectively, and to highlight our distinctive features. From there, we can develop a narrative of who we are together, what we like and don't like, what we're prepared to do to welcome visitors... and also what we don't want!
This is a fundamental step towards emancipation, giving people back the power to decide their own destiny.
This narrative and these choices will shape the very notion of hospitality and the associated offerings, which will be transformed to offer stays consistent with the chosen meaning, values and identity, longer, denser, more connected to the identity of the place and the individuals, to its heritage, culture, know-how, environment, landscapes, resources and natural wonders. Regenerative tourism will encourage people to think about how to be a guest, how to be a tourist, how to engage, visitors and locals together, in creative and meaningful ways. We need each other, and what a wonderful opportunity it is to have the world come to us, to learn from each other and marvel at the differences!
Regenerative tourism will engage visitors to have a positive impact on their vacation destination, and help to make it healthy again by participating in and benefiting from its prosperity.
The community and the place will benefit from these choices, which respect their integrity, value their preferences, and contribute to regenerating the ecosystem and its biodiversity through sustainable and responsible practices.
Rather than tourism based on marketing and discount sales, this approach will promote tourism from the heart, which attaches prime importance to the client experiencebased on authenticity, and its relationship with the intrinsic values of the territory visited. A unique opportunity for visitors to perceive the vibrant nature of the place, and for locals to offer the best of themselves, while remaining masters of the flows and limits of what they are ready to accept and share fully and joyfully.
An opportunity to meet real people on both sides, hosts and visitors, and to share time, pleasure and knowledge with a wider circle of communities across the planet. Because what benefits my destination also benefits the world, through the example it can set and the inspiring path it evokes for all.
Regenerative tourism is passionate, joyful tourism that speaks to people's hearts and encourages them to reconnect - with themselves and with the life around them. Rather than imposing constraints or limiting action, it's a tourism that builds on the love of a place and the passion felt by the people who share it, and goes out of its way to stimulate our desire to contribute to something greater than ourselves. It's a tourism that builds on our enthusiasm and capacity for wonder, that gives us the taste to collaborate and share, to develop more solidarity, giving and empathy towards the living, towards others.
In no way does he deny our approach to responsible, sustainable tourism; on the contrary, he puts science and organizational processes at the service of his creative vision.
He is head before legs, vision before action.
And above all, it's tourism that does good! For ourselves, for others, for communities, for our environment, for the planet.
Like acupuncture points on the human body, regenerative tourism will heal places, one by one, starting small but aiming for the tipping point located around 10 to 15% of planetary locations committed to regeneration. This is the famous "tipping-point" that will enable us to lead as many people as possible in the shift away from our obsolete societal values and destructive consumption patterns, towards a more mature, autonomous, fulfilled, conscious and collaborative society.
What better industry than tourism, which combines leisure and sports, adventure and discovery, pleasure and wonder, sharing time and experience, to meet this global challenge of sustainability? Within it, regenerative tourism is that which chooses to take the time to admire and nurture the beauty of the world and its inhabitants, and decides to take the utmost care of them, with love, patience and dedication. It's the kind of tourism that forges powerful, unwavering hospitality, learns and is inspired by the discovery of others, and isn't afraid to welcome its visitors as close friends, mutually respectful of each other's values.
Tourism has a key role to play in shaping a society that prefers to give and share rather than take and destroy, and that wishes to give back to the Earth what it has so generously received.
So, are you ready to take up the challenge of regenerative tourism?
Véronique Lévy
Sustainable and regenerative tourism cluster.
vlevy@ellio.ca - +1 514 612-8621
I hope this brief presentation of the regenerative approach in economics and more specifically in tourism has interested you. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you'd like to implement this approach in your destination!
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Credit photo : studioroman - Canva.com
*VICA world: vulnerable, uncertain, complex and ambiguous.
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