
Project Regenerative Tourism
Promoting Regenerative Tourism
“Project Regenerative Tourism” is an initiative led by the Sustainability and Resilience Institute (SRI) | Tourism Advisory, New Zealand. Its primary goal is to promote research and experiential opportunities related to regenerative tourism, encouraging visitors to actively engage in the ongoing discourse surrounding this concept. The project has yielded significant results, including the publication of various scholarly works and the development of a comprehensive “Regenerative Tourism Model” and “Regenerative Tourism Framework.”
Project Regenerative Tourism
The Regenerative Tourism Model proposes the integration of all components of a social-ecological system into a cohesive and self-organizing structure that embraces uncertainty and adapts to global shocks and emerging trends. It acknowledges the interconnectedness of social and environmental factors and emphasizes the need for regenerative practices in tourism. Additionally, the model has established a set of indicators to assess the extent to which a tourism product or service contributes to regeneration and sustainability.
The Regenerative Tourism Framework serves as a roadmap for achieving regenerative tourism by prioritizing destinations and people in the policymaking process. This framework incorporates indicators of regenerative tourism from both the supply and demand sides, encompassing overarching characteristics that should be present. To evaluate the degree of regenerativeness of a tourism product, a Likert scale (ranging from 1 to 10) is utilized, offering a quantitative measure.
One of the key recommendations of the project is the holistic appreciation of indigenous knowledge. Rather than cherry-picking specific elements that align with current tourism discussions while neglecting the broader context, the project advocates for a comprehensive understanding of indigenous knowledge. Indigenous knowledge encompasses a way of life that involves dynamic decision-making processes, continuously adapting to cycles of growth, accumulation, restructuring, and renewal of resources. Indigenous wisdom stems from an intricate understanding of specific contexts and times, acting as a steward for the physical, social, and historical environments.
Project Regenerative Tourism Publications
Selected Publications on Regenerative Tourism
Journal of Sustainability and Resilience
Project Regenerative Tourism
Climate Change Commitments and Challenges to Achieve Regenerative Tourism: A Case of Aotearoa New Zealand
Abstract New Zealand heavily relies on nature-based tourism for its popular "100% pure New Zealand" brand. However, the country faces challenges in mitigating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions due to the significant contribution of long-haul destination. Despite various...
The sounds of travel: video ethnography in multisensory tourism research
Abstract While the analysis of the tourist experience often relies on the visual representations, recent research also increasingly calls for a multisensory understanding of tourism research. Soundscapes are an emerging type of tourism attraction that contributes to...
Host Communities: The Foundation of Regenerative Tourism
Abstract Tourism is a human structure and cannot be equated to natural systems such as farming. While regenerative farming focuses on the health of the natural system starting with the soil, tourism is a human system and must focus on regenerating the human system....