Travel and Tourism at a Turning Point 2025

Beyond government and industry, numerous stakeholders influence tourism’s development trajectory and impacts. Their specialized roles and contributions include those described in Table 4 (the coloured circles refer to the enablers shown in Table 1, with the first one indicating the primary enabler).3.4 Role of the wider ecosystem Action areas and priorities for other ecosystem stakeholders TABLE 4 Academic research institutions –Advance evidence-based knowledge: Conduct rigorous research into tourism’s economic, social and environmental impacts to inform policies and models while addressing critical data challenges such as fragmentation, limited public access and standardization –Update educational curricula: Ensure education programmes integrate emerging priorities including sustainability, technology, crisis management and cross-cultural competence –Develop practitioner partnerships: Create knowledge exchange mechanisms between researchers and industry to accelerate application –Provide independent assessment: Offer objective evaluation of initiatives or policies, particularly regarding sustainability and community impact Associations and organizations (e.g. international organizations, civil society organizations, industry associations) –Amplify community voice: Ensure residents’ perspectives are represented in tourism development decisions through structured engagement processes –Elevate best practices: Support accountability by tracking corporate commitments, highlighting effective methodologies and identifying areas for improvement –Develop standards and certifications: Continue to create transparency and support the sector with frameworks for assessing multiple dimensions –Facilitate multistakeholder initiatives: Bring together diverse perspectives and stakeholders to address challenges requiring collaborative solutions Travellers –Make informed choices: Select destinations, accommodation and activities based on authenticated sustainability credentials and community impact –Adopt responsible and understanding behaviour: Follow local guidelines, respect cultural norms and be conscious of minimizing environmental footprint –Provide constructive feedback: Communicate preferences for sustainable practices to providers through reviews, direct communication and purchasing decisions –Support local economies: Prioritize spending with locally owned businesses and community initiatives to maximize their economic benefits Local communities –Participate and work with sector leaders: Engage in discussions in tourism planning and decision-making and join forums to provide input from residents about needs and concerns –Promote local culture and heritage: Encourage the preservation and promotion of local crafts and cultural heritage and develop programmes that educate visitors about the community’s history and cultural significance –Support local businesses: Promote local businesses, including restaurants and artisans, and develop programmes that connect tourists with locally owned establishments –Develop community-based tourism: Create initiatives that enable visitors to experience local lifestyles and traditions, resulting in economic opportunities for residents while sharing their culture Other industries (not exhaustive)Financial institutions –Develop specialized tourism financing: Create lending products tailored to tourism’s seasonality, risk profile and return patterns, particularly for SMEs –Implement sustainability criteria: Integrate environmental and social standards into tourism investment decisions and lending requirements –Support innovation funding: Provide venture capital and blended finance alternatives for promising business models addressing sector challenges –Enhance risk management products: Develop insurance and other financial instruments that build sectoral resilience to disruptions Technology providers –Create inclusive solutions: Develop technology applications that remain accessible across varying capabilities, connectivity levels and user needs –Support sustainability applications: Prioritize the development of tools addressing the key challenges the tourism sector faces –Implement ethical design principles: Establish frameworks ensuring that applications respect privacy, enhance experience and serve human well-being –Enable cross-stakeholder collaboration: Develop platforms facilitating information-sharing and coordinated action across traditionally siloed stakeholders Infrastructure Finance Technology and innovation People and skills Regulation and public–private collaboration Travel and Tourism at a Turning Point: Principles for Transformative Growth 36