Balancing Tourism

Carmen Bold has had dozens of career conversations with tourism professionals over the past few months, every one of them either looking for a new role or weighing up their next move. She asked all of them the same question: why now? Not a single person said money. What came back instead was feeling undervalued, being close to burnout, and working somewhere whose values no longer matched their own...

When Leslie Vella joined what's now the Malta Tourism Authority in 1982, his business card had a Telex address and a Telegram address on it. Faxes were still science fiction. Malta had half a million tourists a year, 80% of them British, almost all of them arriving in summer. 43 years later, Leslie is Chief Officer of Strategic Development and Deputy CEO of the Malta Tourism Authority, the arc...

What if the problem with tourism isn't that there are too many tourists, but that almost nobody is measuring capacity properly? In this episode, Ged is joined by Saverio Bertolucci, an Italian tourism researcher whose work has taken him from the subsea tunnels of the Faroe Islands to a half-empty terminal in North Iceland, and now to Barcelona, where he lives, works, and has been pushing back...

Tom Jenkins has been CEO of the European Tourism Association (ETOA) for over twenty years. Before that, he was a tour guide. And in 1991, he sat in Venice and tried to tell the industry it had an overcrowding problem coming. He was roundly ignored. Thirty-five years later, we're finally having the conversation properly. In this episode we talk about where European tourism genuinely stands righ...

Bridging the Perception Gap with Stacey Liburd, CEO, Grenada Tourism Authority Can a Caribbean island really be a 12-month destination? Ged speaks to Stacey Liburd, CEO of the Grenada Tourism Authority and Vice Chair of the Caribbean Tourism Organization, about Grenada's position below the hurricane belt, the perception gap that holds mature destinations back, and what balanced, year-round tou...

Natalia Boveda leads international promotion for Visit Costa Del Sol, the official DMO for the province of Malaga. In this episode, she explains how one of Europe's most recognised summer destinations is deliberately redirecting its entire marketing effort towards the low and shoulder seasons. In this episode we cover: Why brand familiarity from the UK market is the biggest barrier to repositi...

Alessandra Priante is one of the most influential figures in global tourism. As President of ENIT, Italy's national tourism board, and formerly the first woman to serve as Director for Europe at UN Tourism, she has spent her career at the centre of how the world thinks about travel. In this episode, Alessandra challenges the way our industry talks about overtourism and seasonality. She argues that...

What does AI actually mean for the tourism industry - and are most of us still just reading about it rather than using it? In this episode, Ged is joined by Dado, keynote speaker, author, and technology strategist, whom he met at the Designing Travel event in Vilnius, Lithuania. The conversation ranges from AI adoption curves to the growing value of authentic human connection, and why the most dan...

In this episode of The Balancing Tourism Podcast, Ged speaks with Richard Lindberg, founder of One Planet Journey and keynote speaker at the upcoming Tourism Seasonality Summit in Rimini. Richard shares how a slow, five‑month winter journey transformed his own approach to travel and inspired his work exploring what travellers truly seek: meaning, connection, and a sense of belonging. Together, the...

The Pre‑Journey Journey… with Emma Valahu Most travel brands obsess over the moment someone books. But what about everything that happens before that moment — the research, the anticipation, the doubts, the excitement, the endless tabs open on a browser? In this episode, Ged speaks with Emma Valahu, who specialises in what she calls the pre‑journey journey — the long, emotional decision‑making pha...

What happens when an industry built on “sustainability talk” is forced to confront the reality of its own impacts? In this hard‑hitting conversation, Professor Harold Goodwin — one of the world’s most influential voices in responsible tourism — joins Ged Brown to dismantle the myths, expose the contradictions, and challenge the complacency that still dominates global tourism. Together they explore...

In this episode of  Balancing Tourism , host Ged Brown moderates a panel at the CAPA Airline Leaders Forum in Athens on one of the industry’s most pressing challenges: overtourism. Ahead of the forthcoming Tourism Seasonality Summit and with international arrivals surging past pre‑pandemic levels, destinations across Europe and beyond are facing grassroots protests, new regulations, and mounting p...

In this episode of the Balancing Tourism Podcast, Ged Brown sits down with Michael Moriarty, Managing Director of Hong Kong Disneyland Resort , for a fascinating conversation about the past, present, and future of the iconic theme park. Recorded at Routes World in Hong Kong, this interview offers valuable insights into how one of the world's leading tourist destinations manages growth, complex...

Join host  Ged Brown  for a timely and thought-provoking conversation with  Tricia Duffy , strategy consultant, singer-songwriter, and founder of  In Ten Years Time . Together, they explore how rethinking time, specifically, looking 10 years ahead, can help the tourism industry better navigate today’s complex challenges. This isn’t a theoretical chat, it’s a deeply practical and inspiring look at...

Join host Ged Brown for a fascinating conversation with Rajan Datar, BBC presenter and host of the acclaimed Tourist Trap Podcast. Rajan shares insights from decades of travel journalism, explores the psychology behind our wanderlust, and tackles pressing challenges facing tourism today. From his transformative gap year in Jamaica to wrestling with Mongolian athletes in the Gobi Desert, Rajan's st...

In this insightful episode of the Balancing Tourism podcast, host Ged interviews Stuart McDonald, founder of Travelfish , a comprehensive online travel resource focused on Southeast Asia. Stuart shares the evolution of Travelfish from its humble beginnings in 2004 to becoming a trusted guide for independent travelers, his journey into responsible tourism through his master's degree, and his up...

In this episode of the Balancing Tourism podcast, Ged interviews Andrea Grisdale, founder of IC Bellagio , about her vision for creating personalized travel experiences in Italy. They discuss the importance of unseen efforts in the travel industry, the role of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and the significance of cultural heritage in tourism. Andrea shares insights on community-conscious tr...

Join us for a deep dive into the critical challenges and opportunities facing the tourism industry. In this episode, Ben Lynam, Head of Communications and Research at The Travel Foundation , unpacks the complex relationship between tourism seasonality and sustainability. Here’s what you can expect: Explosive Tourism Growth & Overtourism: Discover how steady global growth (3–4% annually) is fue...

Episode Overview In this lively episode of the Balancing Tourism Podcast, host Ged Brown sits down with innovation expert Claus Raasted to discuss how to shift from endless planning to decisive action. Claus—author of over 40 books (including “Claus Raasted’s Little Book of Getting Shit Done”) and director of the College of Extraordinary Experiences—shares practical insights on creativity, change...

In this episode of  Balancing Tourism Podcast , Ged Brown sits down with  Chris Flynn , the founder and chair of the World Tourism Association for Culture and Heritage , to discuss the  critical intersection of tourism growth and cultural preservation . Chris shares his  journey from PATA to founding WTACH , his concerns about  over-tourism , and why  carrying capacity studies  should be mandatory...

In this episode of  The Balancing Tourism Podcast , host  Ged Brown  sits down with  Bastian Hiller , co-founder of Teejit, to explore the evolving landscape of tourism. From  community-driven travel  to  rethinking seasonality , Bastian shares his insights on how the industry can shift focus from purely profit-driven models to  more inclusive and sustainable tourism strategies . 🔹  Key topics di...

In this thought-provoking episode of  Balancing Tourism , Ged Brown speaks with Chalana Perera, founder of Retrace Hospitality and a champion of regenerative tourism in Sri Lanka. Together, they explore the complexities of balancing tourism's economic benefits with its social and environmental costs. Chalana shares a candid perspective on Sri Lanka’s rapid tourism recovery post-pandemic and hi...

In this episode of the Balancing Tourism Podcast, Ged chats with Yrjötapio Kivisaari (YT), CEO of Visit Oulu, about the unique charm of Oulu, Finland—a compact city blending nature, innovation, and culture. YT shares fascinating insights into Oulu’s journey to becoming the European Capital of Culture 2026 and how the city has tackled seasonality with creative events, sustainable practices, and com...

In this episode of the Balancing Tourism podcast, host Ged explores the complexities and potential solutions in the tourism industry with Bronwen Auret, the Chief Quality Assurance Officer at South Africa Tourism. With over 20 years of experience in brand marketing, digital marketing, and business leadership, Bronwen shares her insights into tackling seasonality, promoting sustainability, and the...

In this first episode Low Season Traveller Founder, Ged Brown, examines the state of global travel & tourism today to understand what we got wrong in the past whilst also evaluating our current actions giving us an indication as to what the future holds.