‘Back to Life’ Program Seeds Regenerative Tourism Framework in New Zealand – Sustainable Brands

Taking advantage of the forced pandemic pause and building off the momentum of a less extractive tourism model already taking shape in the countrys Bay ofPlenty, the online program provided a foundation for shaping thriving host communities rooted in local context and culture.

New Zealands popularity among travelers has steadily increased over theyears. In 2019, nearly 3.9 million internationalvisitorsarrived on the island (Aotearoa, the countrys Mori name); andinternational visitor arrivals were forecasted to reach 5.1 million in2024,according to the countrys Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. And,like most destinations, increased tourism in New Zealand has ledtonatural resource degradation, increased greenhouse gas emissions, loss ofbiodiversity,and overcrowding on beaches and in natural landscapes.

Like many industries coming out of the Industrial Revolution, traditionaltourism models relied on extraction and exploitation.

Places are packaged up and sold as destinations and places you must see beforeyoudie.And the landscapes, culture and people, in a sense, are packaged up as part ofthat sales proposition, said AnnaPollock, founder of ConsciousTravel and a change agent in regenerative-focused tourism.

Yet, long before COVID-19 swept around the globe, tourism professionals in NewZealands Bay of Plenty, in particular, were already exploring regenerativeapproachesleaning heavily on Mori values and wisdom to address tourisms problems whilereimagining the scope and purpose of the industry.

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In many ways,regeneration hasbecome a buzzword companies are tacking on to their products in an effort torepackage sustainable offerings as having a positive impact on the planet andpeople. But no single product, company or even industry is singularlyregenerative; nor is regeneration new. Rather, regeneration is an ideology andprocess that embraces the interconnectedness of Earths ecosystems andcollective wisdom so that people and the planet can flourish. Its as old as theplanet itself and it may be the answer the world needs as it stands on theprecipice of catastrophic biodiversity loss and climate disaster.

What were being asked to do as human beings, let alone as tourismprofessionals, is seriously rethink how we have related to the natural world,Pollock said.

Taking advantage of the forced pandemic pause and building off the momentum of aless extractive tourism model already taking shape in the Bay of Plenty,approximately 80 tourism stakeholders across New Zealand participated in aprogram called Back to Life in early2021. Led by Pollock, who has worked closely with New Zealand tourism partnersfor more than a decade; and Michelle Holiday a consultant and author of the book, The Age of Thrivability: Vital Perspectives and Practices for a Better World, the 10-week online program provided a foundationfor shaping thriving host communities rooted in local context and culture.

It was a combination of content, conversation and practice as much as possiblealong the way, Holliday said noting that while she and Pollock providedcontent, they were very intentional in honoring and centering local Moriwisdom.

The programs five modules centered on the core principles of regenerativetourism:

perspective and principles (what does regeneration mean and how cannatures proven design principles be applied in a tourism framework?);

purpose (what does flourishing look like within a visitor economy?);

people (how do roles and relationships help create the conditions forhealthy, resilient and productive communities?);

place (how does the uniqueness of place shape us?); and

practice (how do we broaden the understanding of and deepen care fornature and its people?).

Extensive offline reading prepared participants for facilitated discussions andsmall breakout groups where participants ideated and reflected on content.Everyone was invited to contribute to a continuing harvest document where theyshared questions and thoughts on how to apply regenerative principles in theirwork and specific context. The first session, in particular, was so powerful.People were so eager to be together in this exploration, and feel hope for a newway of imagining and doing tourism, Holliday said.

My understanding of regeneration, initially, was very shallow. It was theunderstanding that, like sustainability was do less harm, regeneration was domore good, said Josie Major, New Zealand programs manager for GOODTravel. Similarly, Debbie Clarke, founder of New Zealand Awaits, said she hadan awareness but not a thorough understanding of regeneration prior to Back toLife. Going through the learning process as a group was particularly powerfulfor her: It was a deeply personal and very emotional experience, especiallyaround understanding our place and our belonging to our place, Clarke said.

For people working in an industry centered on doing, taking time to reflectupon and learn from the larger ecosystem in which tourism exists was a jarringdeparture. Initially, Pollock said, everyone wanted practical tools for dealingwith COVID, so you had that dynamic of how are we going to survive this enormouscrisis and an inherent internal desire by many to go back tonormalas soon as possible. The biggest challenge was getting people to understand thatthis is a whole new way of thinking, a whole new way of seeing the world andthat takes time.

As New Zealand prepares to reopen its borders to vaccinated internationalvisitors in early2022,the question is whether the countrys tourism industry will fall back into itsold habits or embrace an entirely new, regenerative approach that honors placeand people far more than extractive profit.

Since the course, its been a fundamental shift in thinking for me. Inparticular, the living systems principles and starting to see the visitoreconomy in our communities as living systems has been a profound shift, Majorsaid. Im taking the time to have conversations that dont necessarily have aspecific output. Im building relationships and still deepening myunderstanding.

For their part, Major and Clarke are committed to continuing the conversationabout regenerative tourism in New Zealand through a new podcast called GOODAwaits which they launched after completingthe Back to Life program.

This is a practice. This is a journey, Clarke said. I think all of us in thecourse really realized, ok, were in this together, were starting thistogether. And there is so much hope.

Published Aug 16, 2021 8am EDT / 5am PDT / 1pm BST / 2pm CEST

JoAnna Haugen is a writer, speaker and solutions advocate who has worked in the travel and tourism industry for her entire career. She is also the founder of Rooted a solutions platform at the intersection of sustainable tourism, social impact and storytelling. A returned US Peace Corps volunteer, international election observer and intrepid traveler, JoAnna helps tourism professionals decolonize travel and support sustainability using strategic communication skills.

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'Back to Life' Program Seeds Regenerative Tourism Framework in New Zealand - Sustainable Brands