Leading ethical travel company responsibletravel.com this week launches a new website which lays out a vision for the future of the tourism industry and invites people to contribute to the debate.
www.futureoftourism.com is launched to coincide with the publication of a special dedicated ‘future of travel’ December issue of Geographical, the official magazine of the Royal Geographical Society and media partner for the project.
Justin Francis, managing director, responsibletravel.com said:
“The environmental cost of travel has been well debated and tourism has taken a battering. Consequently the industry and those who work within it feel deflated. Many travellers are left wondering whether they can and should continue to travel. I hope to start a positive and forward thinking debate around the future of tourism, in the media and among travellers too. I look forward to reading what people have to say on this crucial topic.”
Graeme Gourlay, publisher, Geographical said:
“This special issue is a collaboration of various thinkers and writers and provides a vision of what a sustainable future might look like for travel and tourism. We look at hotel architecture with visualisations from leading eco-architect Jeremy Blake; the innovations in aviation by renowned travel journalist Mark Rowe; developments in travel technology by Mark Eveleigh as well as comment from a number of key players in the industry.”
Francis has written the lead article for the magazine (which can be read in full at
www.futureoftourism.com ), predicting the following trends and coining new terminology:
- An increase in ‘geo-local travel’ - travelling closer to home within our own continents
- A move towards ‘hyper local sourcing’ - hotels sourcing food, supplies, staff etc. from a 10km radius. He predicts we’ll see a new hotel chain emerge – The 10km Hotel.
- ‘Deep travel’ - we’ll ask ‘why’ we need a holiday rather than just ‘where’, and begin to travel with more of a purpose.
- The appreciation of local distinctiveness – that which makes a place unique and special
See
www.futureoftourism.com to share your own thoughts and opinions.
Geographical magazine will be on sale in the UK from Thursday 13 November.
Jpegs of the futuristic hotel designs
here or the hotel receipt from the future
here (bottom right) are available upon request.
