Travel Beyond

She’s a CEO by day and a farmer by night, but in both roles, Amy Thacker is working to help people connect with the lands where they live and visit. Amy leads the Cariboo Chilcotin Coast Tourism Association to support the tourism industry in inviting visitors to see this vast, diverse region for themselves – and experience the positive culture shock of living off the grid. In this conversation, sh...

Chris Harris, a renowned photographer and adventurer, shares his deep connection to British Columbia’s Cariboo Chilcotin Coast region and his efforts to document the Chilcotin Ark, one of the most biodiverse wilderness areas in the temperate world. He explores how the Ark’s unique geography positions it as a potential refuge for life in the face of climate change, and how tourism can be a powerful...

How can the private sector work for public good? Rod Drury is a serial entrepreneur and Founder of Xero, a successful tech company based in Aotearoa New Zealand. Since stepping back from his roles as CEO and Director, Rod has been involved in some of the most exciting innovations taking place in Queenstown related to electrification – areas like energy production, public transport, and marine tech...

How can travel contribute to creating more equitable communities? Ben Lyman, Head of Communications at the Travel Foundation and Bernadette Papp, Senior Researcher at the European Tourism Futures Institute discuss new research on equity in tourism. Developed by a consortium of researchers and sponsoring organizations including Destination Think, they share case studies and strategies for travel in...

What can travel businesses do to make a substantial impact in their climate actions? Shannon Guihan, Chief Sustainability Officer at The Travel Corporation, discusses moving beyond carbon offsetting to achieve genuine decarbonization. As the parent company of many tourism brands including Trafalgar and Contiki, The Travel Corporation has committed to reaching net zero carbon emissions. In this ses...

Launched on World Tourism Day, 100 Travel Innovations is a collaborative effort among destinations worldwide to spotlight existing solutions to our most pressing challenges in tourism. By bringing together insights from 35 countries and six continents, this initiative demonstrates that solutions for critical issues like climate resilience, biodiversity, and cultural preservation already exist. Wit...

Travel has the capacity to create positive change, and in many places around the world, it's already happening. The team at Destination Think has been researching the travel industry’s greatest innovations to some of the world’s biggest challenges, uncovering countless ways tourism leaders are stepping up and making an impact. In this episode, get a behind-the-scenes look at our upcoming event, 24...

If it was your job to invite the world to visit one of Canada's most famous travel destinations while also working fiercely alongside the tourism industry and community to protect its incredible environment, how would you do it? You'd need to find alignment on what matters most. Leslie Bruce and her team at Banff & Lake Louise Tourism collaborated with the Town of Banff, Parks Canada, and more...

“When we travel, we pause.” Callandra Caufield knows travel can be transformative. She also knows it can transform communities for better and for worse. As Executive Director at Explore Cochrane, she’s working with residents to bring tourism’s greatest benefits to town while creating visitor experiences that match local values. In this episode, she reflects on her role in shaping a tourism economy...

For hockey fans, the Zamboni has long been a fixture at arenas for treating ice surfaces before games and in between periods. And for just as long, these vehicles have needed fuel to get around. But the City of Vernon in British Columbia has begun electrifying its Zamboni fleet alongside other city vehicles. In this episode, we talk with Torrie Silverthorn, Tourism Manager at Tourism Vernon and Jo...

Today, we turn toward travel’s role in supporting carbon removal. For Tito Jankowski of AirMiners, travel doesn’t have a future without this climate solution. Today’s airline CEOs and industry leaders have the chance to invest in carbon removal early. And wouldn’t it be nice to know that the offsets you buy from an airline are actually working? All this and more in today’s episode. Hosted on Acast...

Is carbon removal about to take off? What is its potential for large-scale impact as a climate solution? As the Co-Founder and CEO of AirMiners, Tito Jankowski is leading a global community of over 2000 scientists, entrepreneurs, engineers, policymakers, and others dedicated to reversing climate change. In part 1 of this episode, he shares why carbon removal is so important, why it’s an industry o...

Under what circumstances would change be possible? Questions like these fuel the work of Paul Cubbon, whose leadership at the University of British Columbia’s Creative Destruction Lab enables early-stage businesses to scale their innovations and impact in a variety of interrelated fields affecting the health of humanity, the planet, and economies. Paul has a view of some of the world’s most exciti...

Dr. Susanne Becken has been studying sustainable tourism for more than 20 years and is an experienced science communicator. As a researcher and Professor of Sustainable Tourism at Griffith University, she brings a clear perspective about the future of the travel industry in light of current climate forecasts, and what we might need to do next. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more inform...

Let’s reflect on why we care about using travel to make the world a better place. It’s something Ewout, a strategist with the Netherlands Board of Tourism & Conventions (and a new father), has been thinking about a lot. In 2023, we sat down with him to learn about his perspective on the current state of tourism and how that has impacted NBTC’s new vision going forward.   In this upda...

People are going to explore, and it matters how they do it. Bend’s Wanderlust Tours guides visiting explorers is a way that preserves the lands and waters everyone relies on. Co-owner Jared Garfield shares several solutions related to visitor education and advice for tourism businesses seeking to make a positive community impact. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“All we’re doing is building relationships.” Pine Mountain Sports is a solar-powered bike shop with a commitment to making Bend a better place to live. Owner Dan McGarigle talks about the impact his business makes as a community resource, and how Bend influences visitors. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Around 50% of Bend’s visitors arrive by travelling through the nearby Warm Springs Reservation. Local artist and radio producer Marge Kalama discusses how tourism impacts Warm Springs, emphasizing the importance of care for the land, the continuation of her community’s cultural practices, and the opportunities for collaboration with organizations in the Bend area. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/pr...

What began as one lawyer’s mission to save a forest is now Central Oregon LandWatch, an NGO overseeing rural and urban planning related to lands, waters, and issues like affordable housing. Executive Director Ben Gordon outlines the challenges ahead for this region and explains why more holistic community planning will make Bend a more attractive place to live and visit. Hosted on Acast. See acast...

How do locals really feel about tourism? Todd Montgomery is answering that question through the Oregon State University Sustainable Tourism Lab, which has studied resident sentiment in more than 100 destinations. Todd shares some of his findings and why research like his is valuable to DMOs working toward better stewardship. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

During her time as Visit Bend’s first Sustainability Director, Serena Gordon worked to help locals reap the rewards of their hometown’s popularity through programs like the Bend Sustainability Fund. She shares advice for other destination leaders working for change. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Undersea pyramids and above-ground mangrove forests are the topics of discussion today as we visit the Caribbean Conference on Sustainable Tourism Development in Grenada. Phil Saye started the Grenada Artificial Reef Project in 2013 to encourage coral growth using simple techniques. It’s a successful experiment that can be replicated elsewhere, Phil says, and he shares not only why the project is...

Which conversations are we avoiding in the travel industry? Destination managers and travel industry leaders are under increasing public pressure to follow up their sustainable words with action, says today’s guest, Signe Jungersted. Signe worked on The End of Tourism As We Know It strategy as Director of Development at Wonderful Copenhagen. She continues to lead destinations and communities throu...

The director of the Danish Architecture Center highlights the center's role as a catalyst for promoting sustainable urban development. We explore how inclusive approaches to urban planning are vital in shaping Copenhagen’s future and tourism's positive impact in spreading knowledge beyond the city. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Like a souvenir that takes up no room in your suitcase, learning has always fit perfectly with travel. And some entrepreneurs in Copenhagen have taken it upon themselves to ensure travellers are going home with a better understanding of how to advocate for change in their communities and take small steps to make better choices in their personal lives. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for mor...