Shifting Paradigms for Sustainable Growth in Tourism

Reflecting on childhood memories often unveils profound insights into our passions and interests later in life. For our Founder, Tina O'Dwyer, a simple gift from a kindly neighbour sparked her interest in tourism. The ruler was adorned with images of County Clare, where her neighbour had been on holiday.

The images were compelling to Tina. They ignited her curiosity and she experienced her very first hankering to visit someplace else, just to see it. It was the early 1980s and 'holidays away' was not really a concept for most Irish families at that time.

In the company of her neighbour a short while after, tThe Cliffs of Moher and the Burren became Tina's very first 'destinations' and, in retrospect, set her on a path towards understanding the complexities of the tourism industry.

The Rise of Tourism:
When Tina first took that trip, there were 280 million international visitors. The tourism industry has witnessed exponential growth in the years since, reaching over 1.4 billion by 2019.  However, as the growth soared, questions arise about sustainability and the impact of tourism on host communities and the environment.

Challenges of Overtourism, Climate, Leakage:
The concept of 'overtourism' emerged as popular destinations grappled with overcrowding and strain on local resources. The pursuit of more visitors seemed to overshadow the well-being of the places themselves, prompting some to re-evaluate tourism practices.

Growing awareness of the impact of humankind's actions on our climate and the long-term viability of life led to the concept of 'flight shame'. 

Added to that was the growing evidence that much of the economic benefit from tourism is not gained by the host destination or community, but rather 'extracted' or 'leaked' out to external commercial parties.

A Line in the Sand:
The advent of COVID-19 drew a definitive line in the sand for the tourism industry. With travel restrictions and border closures, the pause in global tourism seemed to be calling stakeholders to confront some of these pressing issues. The problems of continuous growth could not be denied. The opportunity to address them in the way the industry would build itself back also had to be acknowledged. 

Shifting Paradigms:
In her TEDx talk of 2021, Tina explores the concept of shifting from 'The Number Paradigm' to 'The Place Paradigm' in tourism development. Rather than placing focus solely on 'more visitors to the place' as a barometer of success, she advocates for 'more value for the place' as the true measure of progress.

The Geopark Code of Practice:
Tina draws from her experience in the 2010s in The Burren & Cliffs of Moher UNESCO Global Geopark (yes, the same place that had showed up on the ruler in the early 1980s!). Working with stakeholders and businesses of the destination, the group experienced a collective change of mindset, exemplified in the Geopark Code of Practice for Sustainable Tourism.

By aligning tourism development with the values and aspirations of local communities, by aligning people and stakeholders around their one shared purpose (i.e. the current and future good of the place), destinations can achieve a balance between quality visitor experience, environmental protection and restoration, and social and cultural regeneration.

Universal Principles:
Across cultures and continents, Tina has observed destinations who have found  common ground in their love of place and their perceived responsibility to steward our natural and cultural heritage for future generations.  While the principles are universal, the application must be local - each place must find its own way of adapting and expressing those principles that they become an authentic framework for collaboration.

Courageous Leadership:
Now in a post-pandemic world, where the memory of those times already seems distant, the call for courageous leadership, rooted in the heart and the gut as well as the mind, is as strong as ever.

At The Tourism Space, we continue to use The Place Paradigm as a way of framing tourism for the future. By prioritising the well-being of places and communities, by securing cross-sectoral and cross-business collaboration, we can shape a more sustainable and resilient future for tourism.

Our belief is 'If we look after the place, the number will look after itself.'