The conversation around sustainability in tourism may feel more advanced than ever, but real change isn’t keeping pace. Jeremy Sampson, CEO of The Travel Foundation, argues that growing consensus on tourism’s environmental and social impact has created a misleading sense of progress. While awareness has increased, the system itself hasn’t evolved quickly enough to match the accelerating pressures of climate change and global instability. What the industry once expected to face years from now is already unfolding, compressing future risks into today’s reality.

As these challenges intensify, Sampson believes regulation will become a key driver of change, shifting more control to destinations whether the industry is ready or not. He points to initiatives like the Canary Islands’ RegNext program as examples of collaboration between governments and industry to support more sustainable growth. At the same time, reframing sustainability through the lens of economic resilience is helping bring more stakeholders to the table. Still, gaps remain between what consumers say and what they do, raising questions about how success in tourism sustainability should ultimately be defined.

The conversation around sustainability in tourism may feel more advanced than ever, but real change isn&rsquo;t keeping pace. Jeremy Sampson, CEO of The Travel Foundation, argues that growing consensus on tourism&rsquo;s environmental and social impact has created a misleading sense of progress. While awareness has increased, the system itself hasn&rsquo;t evolved quickly enough to match the accelerating pressures of climate change and global instability. What the industry once expected to face years from now is already unfolding, compressing future risks into today&rsquo;s reality.
As these challenges intensify, Sampson believes regulation will become a key driver of change, shifting more control to destinations whether the industry is ready or not. He points to initiatives like the Canary Islands&rsquo; RegNext program as examples of collaboration between governments and industry to support more sustainable growth. At the same time, reframing sustainability through the lens of economic resilience is helping bring more stakeholders to the table. Still, gaps remain between what consumers say and what they do, raising questions about how success in tourism sustainability should ultimately be defined.

A regular dissection of the news, issues and trends in travel and technology, featuring interviews with industry executives and entrepreneurs and hosted by PhocusWire editors.

A regular dissection of the news, issues and trends in travel and technology, featuring interviews with industry executives and entrepreneurs and hosted by PhocusWire editors.

In Phocus is a regular dissection of the news, issues and trends in travel and technology, featuring interviews with industry executives and entrepreneurs and hosted by PhocusWire editors.

In Phocus

As the industry confronts this reality, The Travel Foundation CEO Jeremy Sampson said he expects regulation to drive change. Whether the industry is ready or not, his feeling is that destinations will have more control over the sector’s impact in the future.