1. How the Game is Changing Through Conscious Travel
building a better tourism for more
for
The Victoria Tourism Industry Council
Anna Pollock, Founder, Conscious Travel
July, 2014
2. My Purpose Today
What do we mean by Game Changing?
What Game are we Playing Today?
Why Might it Have to Change?
How is Conscious Travel a Game
Changer?
3. What do we mean by Game
Changer?
“Whether the chase is
won or lost in tennis.
Nobody can know until
the ball is run”
John Gower 1400
received a pension in form of
an annual allowance of wine.
Henry 1V
6. Is Game Changing….
Changing the way the Game is played
Equipment
Dress code and style
Performance
Rules
Court, lines and net
or
Changing the Purpose of the Game?
7. Changing the Game of
TOURISM
Change the way the Game is played
Rules – low cost airlines
Performance – yield management, automation, self service
Equipment – propellors, jet engines, aerofoils, navigation, high
speed trains, cruise ships, kiosk
Pricing, marketing– online bookings, OTAs, social media, loyalty
programs
Disruptive competition - Airbnb
“Exogenous conditions” – currencies, hazards, terrorism
DELOITTE 2015
SUSTAINABILITY AS GAME CHANGER
10. Changing the Game of
TOURISM
Current Purpose is to Grow…..
More visitors,
More trips,
More pax,
More revenue, taxes
Higher occupancy,
Higher ADR, revenue
More GDP
More jobs
11. CURRENT TOURISM GOAL
Growth by and for whom? Who benefits?
• Destinations – need tax revenues and investment in
amenities, infrastructure.
Need to cover costs, manage reputation
• Developers – need new spaces to develop!
• Tourism multinationals – publicly owned need to grow to
satisfy their market, ROI, quarterly results, valuation
• Most SME’s in tourism (99%) are into survival!
• Cope with volatility, boom and bust, rising costs
• Satisfy Customers who want more for less each year
• More regulation, New technology
• And grow value – net profit per unit of transaction
12. THE GLOBAL CONUNDRUM
We believe our economy has to grow
More people; Higher expectations; Debt (interest)
13. THE GLOBAL CONUNDRUM
We need resources to support that growth
They’re becoming scarcer more costly to extract
14. THE GLOBAL CONUNDRUM
We need resources to support that growth
They’re becoming scarcer more costly to extract
We’ll have to pay for externalities
Cost of “Externalities”
• US $7.3 trillion
• 13% of GDP
• Greenhouse gas 38%
• Water 25%
• Land use 24%
• Air pollution (7%)
• Other pollution (5%)
• Waste (1%)
19. THE GLOBAL CONUNDRUM
The more we grow, the more wealth is
concentrated
http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/06/the-pitchforks-are-coming-for-us-plutocrats-
108014.html#.U745S1bMqzC
23. “This report shows the
world on a development
trajectory that is not
sustainable.
If we fail to alter our patterns of
production and consumption,
things will go badly wrong.”
10 mega-forces, all connected
in ways we don’t fully
understand.
ACKNOWLEDGING THE
PROBLEM
24. The Earth’s environmental
system is simultaneously
coming under increasing
stress. Future simultaneous
shocks to both systems
could trigger the “perfect
global storm”, with
potentially insurmountable
consequences.
50 risk sources, all
connected in ways
we don’t fully
understand
TOP 4
• Wealth Disparity
• Debt
• Financial Instability
• Global
Governance
26. CAPITALISM MIGHT BE
FLAWED
“Capitalism does millions
of things better than the
alternatives. However, it
is totally ill-equipped to
deal with a small handful
of issues. Unfortunately
they are issues that are
absolutely central to our
long-term well being and
even survival”
Jeremy
Grantham,
co-founder
GMO
27. CAPITALISM MIGHT BE
FLAWED
“Communism collapsed
because it dedn’t allow
prices to tell the economic
truth
Capitalism will collapse
because it doesn’t allow
prices to show the
ecological truth” Oystein
Dahle, former
VP Exxon Mobil
28. THE GAME IS CHANGING
Capitalism Re-thinking
Itself
Sustainable Economy, Renewing
Capitalism, Conscious Capitalism,
Corporation 2020, Sustainable
Capitalism, Responsible
Capitalism, Clean Capitalism, The
Responsible Economy, Capitalism
as if the Planet Matters, Creative
Capitalism, Compassionate
Capitalism, Just Capitalism,
Regenerative Capitalism Spiritual
Capital, Tomorrow’s Company,
Breakthrough Capitalism, Sir
37. The Result
• Growth in volume but
more:
• Volatility
• DIMINISHING
RETURNS
• Lower Spending per
capita
• Growing congestion
• Mountains of waste
• Resident backlash
90% + of demand
factors outside of
the control of
anyone in tourism
38. The Island Where Tourist Garbage is Stored in the Maldives
Source: Daily Mail
The Queue to Climb Everest
Source: 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 Balinese
Source: ABC They Paved Paradise
How will we protect vulnerable people
and cultures?
Can we really handle another 600
million in just 12 more years?
43. Conscious Travel a Game Changer
because
1. We’re changing the purpose of travel –
from simply growing (getting bigger) to
FLOURISHING (becoming better)
2. Changing our story, narrative, lens, our
paradigm regarding:
• what it means to be human and alive
• our relationship with Nature
3. Shifting our role from passive hosts to
active change agents
4. Enlivening, re-vitalising our
communities.
48. FLOURISHING MEANS
A shift from:
• more to better
• quantity to quality
• exclusive – benefitting a few - to inclusive with
benefits being more evenly shared over time, space
and between all stakeholders
• Low to higher NET benefit in quantifiable AND non-
quantifiable ways
It’s about experiencing what it’s like to be
• Fully alive
• Experiencing Seligman’s PERMA +
• Radiating vitality, energy, optimism
• Adaptable, creative, resilient together
• Hopeful, expansive not fearful and constricted
• Peak Performance – “in the flow”
53. “The deepest crises experienced
by any society are those moments
of change when the story becomes
inadequate for meeting the survival
demands of a present situation.”
58. 2. Re-framing what it means to be human
A free member of a dynamic, living community
Having Being
Homo Economicus Homo Sapiens, Sapiens
Separate Connected
“I”, Competitive, taking “We” Cooperative, collaborative, giving
Scarcity, Hoarding Abundance, Sharing, Gift
Machine Organism
Extrinsic values, utility Intrinsic values
Acquiring, complicated Experiening, evolving, complex
Conforming Authentic
Static Dynamic
60. "The tree which moves some
to tears of joy is, in the eyes
of others, only a green thing
which stands in the way,
Some see Nature all ridicule
and deformity, and some
scarce see Nature at all.
But to the eyes of the man of
imagination, Nature is
Imagination itself.
As a man is, so he sees."
William Blake
Change the way we see
62. 62
When you want to build a ship, you
don’t start collecting wood, cutting
planks and distributing work, but
waken
in the heart of people, a longing for
the great and endless sea.
Antoine St Expury
Appeals to all of us – minds, hearts, body and
soul
63. can “read the love letters sent
by the wind and the rain, the
snow and the moon”
Our Purpose – to help our
guests fall in love with life and
Mother Earth and so that they
too
63
64. The real purpose of tourism
To have them fall in love again with life
To move our guests from numbness to
aliveness
from indifference to empathy
64
To have our guests experience wonder
65.
66. Tourism has a special role to play
Finding & connecting
67. 4. Fulfill Tourism’s promise as a
Force for GOOD
• Connect
• Heal
• Restore,
Regenerate
• Transform
• Cross-Pollinate
• Community
Change Agents
68. 4. Through New Organization
Forms
Not-for-profit
Social Enterprise
Travel Philanthropy
Voluntourism
Immersive Travel
69. 5. Emerging & embedded in
Community
“To build a popular
environmentalism, we
need to restore in
people
pride of place”
70. The Conscious Travel Vision
A model
A Collaborative Learning Platform
A global network of learning
communities
74. PURPO
SE
PURPOS
E
• The Why?
• From growth to
thriving, flourishing
• Enliven
• Enlighten
• Engage
• Enrich
• HIGHER NET
BENEFIT
• Not more, but
better and better
for more! 74
75. PEOPLE
PURPOSE
• THE
ENCOUNTER
• Guest meets Host
• Involves all senses
• Affects the whole
person – body,
mind, heart and
soul
• Caring passionate
hosts create
happy, transformed
guests
• Engagement
• Culture
• Leadership
PEOPLE
75
76. The Encounter is CRITICAL!
What factors influence choice of
hotel?
76
77. • Both parties must
flourish and thrive
• Flourishing is more
than a transaction
• Occurs when:
• Happy, fulfilled guests
• Refer others
• Return
• Rave
• Happy fulfilled hosts
enthusiastically
encourage & enable
their guest to explore
more, stay longer,
value more and care
more
Great Encounters!
77
78. PURPOSE
• Places are NOT
commodities
• Each has its own
unique essence or
spirit
• Unique mix of
geography, history,
people
• Can’t be
outsourced
• Places are
COMMUNITIES
• Identity
• Celebrate Revere
PEOPLE
PLACE
PLACE
78
79. If we are going to take care of Mother
Earth, we must learn to love her.
79
80. PURPOSE
• SLOW down
• LOCAL
• Small
• Experience don’t
do
• Wonder & awe
PEOPLE
PLACE
PACE
PROXIMIT
Y
PACE
PROXIMIT
Y
80
81. PURPOSE
• Conservation
• Stewardship
• Regeneration
• Minimum Harm
• Protect and
revitalise cultures
• Respect residents
• Nurture Conscious
travelers
PEOPLE
PLACE
PROTECTION
PACE
PROXIMIT
Y
PROTECTION
81
82. PURPOSE
• Attracting the right
visitor
• Support not sell
• All business is
social
• Need for Digital
Literacy
• It’s the
ENCOUNTER
remember?
• Rave, Refer,
Return
PEOPLE
PLACE
PROTECTION
PACE
PROXIMIT
Y
PULL
PULL
82
83. PURPOSE
• We manage what
we measure
• Measure what
matters!
• Not volume but net
benefit – community
health & well-being
• Customer delight ----
• R3 NPS
• Smaller footprint
• Sense of welcome &
enthusiasm from
hosts
PEOPLE
PLACE
PROTECTION
PACE
PROXIMIT
Y
PERFORMAN
CE PULL
PERFORMAN
CE
83
85. Assumptions
1. The task at hand is to re-connect
and align with Life itself - Harmony
with Nature;
2. Re-think our collective goals: from
growth to flourishing;
3. Hosts to become active change
agents;
4. Tourism enterprises will flourish by
digging deep into purpose;
5. The model will change because
human values are changing; and
6. Change starts and ends in
86. Imagine......
a network of host communities
each exploring how to deliver
net benefits from tourism,
a good living for people,
and transformative
experiences for guests
each in
their own way?
86
87. 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
www.conscious.travel www.slideshare.net/AnnaP
That’s game changing!
Notas del editor
No region or ector makes sufficient profit so will pass on to customers
US$40 trillion neeeded to upgrade global infrastructure – no governments have that cash – more debt higher costs
No region or sector makes sufficient profit so will pass on to customers
US$40 trillion neeeded to upgrade global infrastructure – no governments have that cash – more debt higher costs
No region or ector makes sufficient profit so will pass on to customers
US$40 trillion neeeded to upgrade global infrastructure – no governments have that cash – more debt higher costs
No region or ector makes sufficient profit so will pass on to customers
US$40 trillion neeeded to upgrade global infrastructure – no governments have that cash – more debt higher costs
Mass tourism copied the same production – consumption model that KPMG say is unsustainable
It is, therefore, subject to its same excesses and intrinsic weaknesses.
It’s turned travelers and guests into consumers, tourists or, worse, market segments.
It’s turned places into products and exotic experiences into safe packages that can be rated and compared by algorithm.
Instead of obsessing about fulfillment, it fixates on efficiency, automation and standardization and then competes on price not value. Just think about it – we’ve taken a highly diverse complex planet that’s 13.5 billion years old with life forms that have taken 3.8 billion years to evolve and carved it up into products we now sell at bargain basement prices. Does that make sense? Does it make you proud?
Why Wake Up? We have to wake up from the trance we’re in and become aware of our present and precarious position.
The word conscious means awake, aware and and alert – it means making mindful, informed decisions NOT being willfully blind because the truth is too inconvenient.
Our indigenous brothers and sisters – from all corners of the planet – are quite insistent that we have to see our world and our role in it differently.
In every case, a change in seeing must precede a change in being, which must precede in doing. Many scientists, most cosmologists, some economists and many deep thinkers are all saying the same thing – we have the means to restore that relationship with planet earth but, until there is a major shift in consciousness (perception and will), those means won’t be deployed in time.
Jeremy Rifkin, one the top advisors to the EU on its energy policy and author The Third Industrial Revolution, says we have one generation in which to shift human consciousness.