Building an Iconic Destination That Inspires and Endures

Anna Pollock, Founder, Conscious Travel

Thanks for having me back!

Come to the edge.' 'We can't. We're afraid.' 'Come to the edge.' 'We can't. We will fall!' 'Come to the edge.' And they came.And he pushed them. And they flew

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Why??

Breakdown or Breakthrough?

Tourism is the biggest connecting activity on the planet

Travel & Tourism has a unique role to play in helping us breakthrough

Tourism will either be part of the solution or part of the problem

Accelerated Consumption

Climate Change

Energy & Fuel

Material Resource Scarcity

Food scarcity

Water Scarcity

Ecosystem Decline

Disparate Prosperity

Government Debt

Lack of Global Governance

Political Instability

Pandemics

THE PERFECT STORM

The State We’re In

What the Graph Doesn’t Show Volatility Net revenues Net benefits Spending per capita DIMINISHING

RETURNS Value retention in the

host community Productivity (yield per

employee) CONCENTRATION OF

WEALTH

90% + of demand factors outside of the control of anyone in tourism

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Can we handle another 400 million tourists in just 8 years?

The Island Where Tourist Garbage is Stored in the MaldivesSource: Daily Mail

The Queue to Climb EverestSource: Guardian

• see: Can Tourism Change its Operating Model?

How will we handle congestion?

How will we handle waste?

How will we handle emissions?

How will we manage our thirst for water and land?

How will avoid residents’ backlash?

Protest Sign Erected by Young BalineseSource: ABC They Paved Paradise

Source: China Daily

How will we protect vulnerable people and cultures?

The State We’re In

Tourism now supports 1 billion international trips a year

It can produce income, economic growth, jobs, foreign exchange, conserve wildlife, preserve cultures..but it doesn’t always

Are we at a tipping point?

Metaphorically speaking, we’re about to experience a tourism tsunami + galeforce winds + earthquake

Will the tourism capsule hold out?

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“We have to continually be jumping off cliffs and developing our wings on the way down.” Kurt Vonnegut

when you're at the edge,

you have to go forward or backward;

if you go forward, you have to jump

together…..

Yo Yo Ma

Location for the Next Executive Meeting of TOTA?

The three drivers of change

Their inter-relationships and impact

TOTA’s opportunity to continue to lead

Introduce Conscious Travel

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Connectivity Values Cost & Opportunity

“I” AM the Author Journalist Film maker Reviewer Marketer Intermediary LEADER

Technology shifted the balance of power

Me-centred universe

do you have wifi?

Biophysical Realities

Business is Getting the Message

“ population growth, exploitation of natural resources, climate change and other factors are putting the world on a development trajectory that is not sustainable…if we fail to alter our patterns of production and consumption, things will begin to go badly wrong”

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Costs and Risk to Increase

“ The resources on which businesses rely will become more difficult to access and more costly. There will be an increasing strain on infrastructure and natural systems as patterns of economic growth and wealth change. Physical assets and supply chains will be affected by the unpredictable results of a warming world”

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Opportunities Also “ the bold, the visionary

and the innovative recognise that what is good for people and the planet will also be good for the long-term bottom line and shareholder value…

competitive advantage can be carved out of emerging risk.”

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To keep below 2 degrees Celsius we’ll now have to reduce carbon emissions by 5.1% per year.

Between 2000 and 2011 we’ve achieved reductions of just 0.8% per year.

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Concur with UN Secretary General that current growth model is a form of “suicide pact”Promoting concept of Zeronauts working on Zero Impact; Zero Waste sector by sector

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Is there a Value Shift?

The NEW Consumer

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New Consumers still want MORE, but they are defining that differently.

Now they seek more meaning, more deeply felt connections, more substance, more control and a greater sense of purpose.

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The Conscious Consumer Report, 2009, BBMG34

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•66% of consumers would prefer to buy products from companies that give back to society

•62% would prefer to work for such companies

•59% would prefer to invest in such companies

•46% would be willing to pay extra for products and services from these companies

DOING GOOD IS GOOD FOR BUSINESS: 2012

SUPPORT VARIES REGIONALLY

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Consumers Ahead of Marketers

Economic Disparity – Erosion of the Middle Class

How do these change drivers interact?

?

Panic + Innovation Vertigo

What’s this leading to?

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Connectivity + Content

= Transparency

= Competition (downward pressure on prices)

= Need for innovation

= Need for Talent

= Importance of Reputation

= Need for Authenticity

1. Companies are Valued Differently Now

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2. The Humanisation of Business

You cannot control your brand

Your brand emerges as the outer expression of your values and beliefs

4. What CEO’s Most Focus On

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3. Purpose Must Precede Profit

3. Purpose & Behaviour

Source: Richard Barrett – The Values Centre47

Impact on BusinessRE-THINKING CAPITALISM

•Whole Foods

•Southwest Airlines

•Zappos

•The Container Store

•Google

•Amazon

•Joie de Vivre

CONSCIOUS CAPITALISTS

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4. How CEO’s are Re-organising

4. The characteristics CEO seek from employees

So TOTA if you really want to:•Fly!

•Stand out

•Lead not follow

•Create best practice not copy it

•And become iconic

….you will…….

1. Define Success Differently•Better not necessarily bigger

•Resilient

•Vitality

•Agility

•Capacity to Innovate

•Capacity to Stand Out

•Zero impact

2. Measure Success Differently

•Net benefit to whole community

•Net promoter score (NPS)

3. Change the Operating Model from

To:

© Anna Pollock, Conscious Travel

Plenty

NEW MODEL Plenty

enough, sufficiencyimplicit a sense of limitsadequate - don’t need moreimplies that multiple stakeholders benefitfocus on quality not quantity “wellth” and happiness vs wealth

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Plenty

People

NEW MODELPeople

encounters

relationship

trust

transactions only occur if trust is present

BODY, MIND, HEART & SOUL

Individual

Plenty

People

Place

NEW MODELPlace

each place is unique

unique places sustain value

Personality of Place

Living Presence - essence, spirit, soul

Indigenous people understand placesare sacred

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Plenty

People

Place

Purpose

NEW MODEL

Purpose

what’s the higher purpose of the business?why should employees bring their whole selves to work?

people seeking meaning

conscious travellers seeking to be changed

Higher purpose ignites Passion

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Plenty

People

Pull

Place

Purpose

NEW MODEL

Pull

challenge is to attract

power shifted to guest

to be magnetic you have to be clear about who you are and send out strong signals

you need to master social technologies and media in order to sustain relationships and build trust

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Plenty

People

Pull

Protection

Place

Purpose

NEW MODEL

Protection

Hosts must become proactive champions & custodians

Compliance and CSR programs not enough

“Licence to Operate” will depend on minimal (preferable zero) footprint

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Plenty

People

Pull

Protection

Place

Purpose

Pace

NEW MODEL

Pace

help guests learn the art of living

rediscover what it means to be a human being not a human doing

learn to savour & satiate the senses

increase length of stay and spend

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Plenty

People

Pull

Protection

Place

Purpose

Pace

NEW MODEL

•Encounters & relationships before transactions

•PLACES before products

•PURPOSE & PASSION drive Profit

•PROTECTION = zero impact & rejuvenation

•PULL as in attract & support not Push

PACE as in SLOW & SAVOUR

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Conscious Travel is

A Mindset

A Movement

A creative e-learning program

There is no single blueprint on a shelf; no instantly available “how to manual” It’s up to you-us to create them

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Conscious Travel

• Hosts

• Values-based Learning Program

• Connectivity

• Participation & Support

Conscious Travel

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Imagine......a network of host communities each exploring how to deliver net benefits from tourism,a good living for people,and transformative experiences for guestseach in their own way?

In the same way that cells combine to form different organs of the body, so will the collective output of these cells combine to create a new organic, ecological form of tourism -

one that is environmentally sustainable, socially just and spiritually fulfilling

Do please send comments and feedback to:theconscioushost@gmail.com

www.conscious.travel

www.facebook.com/conscioustravel