Future of Travel and Tourism Paper - January 2025
The World Economic Forum has released its latest briefing paper, Future of Travel and Tourism: Enhancing Sustainable and Inclusive Growth, which is the result of a collaboration between Senior WEF officials and Fellows, KEARNEY, members of the WEF Global Future Council on the Future of Sustainable Tourism, which include Professor Marina Novelli, Director of STTAR Centre, and a network of industry and government stakeholders. It explores how the travel and tourism sector can use its transformative potential in a rapidly changing world.
The paper examines the role of key stakeholders, emerging opportunities, and innovative solutions to inspire a collective vision for the sector. It emphasises the need for collaboration to navigate the complex modern travel industry, ensuring that it not only recovers from recent setbacks but also emerges more resilient, and better equipped for sustainable growth.
This Briefing paper provides to help shape a roadmap for a sector capable of thriving in times of change and challenges. The paper outlines three critical questions that should shape the future of the sector:
How can increased collaboration across stakeholders help address the sector’s challenges and opportunities?
What new governance mechanisms can mobilise the ecosystem to position travel and tourism as a driver of sustainable and inclusive development?
What are the key enablers, tools, and frameworks needed to balance economic growth, traveller and host community well-being, and environmental regeneration?
By addressing these questions, the sector can move towards a more sustainable future. This report serves as a crucial step in fostering dialogue and innovation to reshape the travel and tourism landscape.
Professor Novelli said: 'It has a privilege to serve as member of such a great group of experts providing insights into the state of sustainable tourism and investigating best ways forward. My contribution to this Briefing Paper emerges from my involvement as member of the WEF GFC on the future of sustainable tourism (2023-2024) and I look forward to the next phase of my collaboration with WEF GFCs, which will be announced in March 2025.'