The Global Vision Awards aim to identify and honor companies, individuals, destinations, and organizations taking strides to develop more sustainable and responsible travel products, practices, and experiences. Moreover, these honorees are not only demonstrating thought leadership and creative problem-solving; they are taking actionable, quantifiable steps to protect communities and environments around the world. What’s more, they are inspiring their industry colleagues and travelers to do their part.
There’s strength in numbers. It’s a lesson these Global Vision Awards honorees have rallied behind to raise awareness about issues in the travel industry and take impactful action toward accomplishing their sustainability and social justice goals. For one organization, the mission is rectifying the ways in which Black travelers are represented, engaged with, and employed across the travel and media industries. Furthermore, another organization is forming an international coalition to address how Earth’s most populous cities deal with climate change, sharing both knowledge and solutions. The third honoree collaborates with some of the world’s top boutique hotels to create baseline standards within the hospitality industry—guidelines that not only mitigate negative impact on the environment but also actively protect the destinations and surrounding communities for the future. We are truly better when we work together.
The Black Travel Alliance
Black leisure travelers from the U.S. spent nearly $130 billion worldwide in 2019, according to research from tourism marketing agency MMGY Global—yet the Black perspective has been vastly underrepresented in the travel media. To remedy this discrepancy, 18 photographers, writers, and social-media influencers partnered last year to launch the Black Travel Alliance, which offers training sessions on topics such as brand-building and pitching. The alliance has since grown significantly. Members share contacts and job opportunities, host events, engage directly with companies, and amplify one another’s voices. BTA also gathers and analyzes data about representation within the industry, focusing not just on advertising and editorial but also on trade show panels and travel-sector employment.
A Massive Reforestation Initiative Is Under Way in Seychelles
C40 Cities
Recognizing that global problems need global solutions, the leaders of nearly 100 of the world’s most populous cities—from Singapore to San Francisco—have signed on to the C40 collective, which seeks systemic ways to address climate change. Together, these urban areas are home to more than 700 million citizens and about a quarter of the world’s economy. Consequently, they have committed to reducing greenhouse-gas emissions, improving environmental health, sharing knowledge, and pooling resources. This includes collaboratively financing bold projects in the Global South, acknowledging global inequality: 17 cities, such as Mexico City, Bogotá, Colombia, and Quezon City in the Philippines, have received funding for projects related to mass transit, renewable energy, and ecological resilience.
Regenerative Travel
For Amanda Ho and David Leventhal, sustainability goes beyond the mantra “do no harm”; it also means actively improving the environment and society. That’s why they founded Regenerative Travel, a collective of small, luxurious, independent hotels committed to that mission. “We’re using whole-systems thinking and getting to the root of the problem,” Ho says. All member properties—among them the Datai Langkawi in Malaysia; the Ranch Malibu in California; GoldenEye in Jamaica; and Fogo Island Inn in Canada—adhere to six principles, including minimizing ecological impact and respecting the destination’s culture. Playa Viva, a resort in Zihuatanejo, Mexico, features an organic garden and charges guests a 2 percent fee to fund a trust benefiting the local community. Moreover, knowledge sharing is another vital tenet, where experts from member resorts conduct online master classes: Steven Farrell, founder of Finca Luna Nueva Lodge in Costa Rica, led one on incorporating regenerative agricultural practices into hotel operations, while a wellness specialist from Hamanasi in Belize shared advice for supporting staff well-being. Because accurate information helps guard against greenwashing, Ho states, Regenerative Resorts is collecting and analyzing extensive data to demonstrate what’s actually making an impact; its first white paper, published in December, employs case studies from member properties to establish the industry’s first set of principles for regenerative hospitality.
