I have a concern about travel becoming elitist—something available only to those with wealth. Yet, I do see travel as a privilege. It’s a privilege because I feel honored to visit the places, enjoy the experiences, and meet the people I encounter when I travel. I am humbled by the enrichment I receive from the land and the community. I have respect.
I felt all of this and more when I represented NTA at the Tourism Cares Meaningful Travel Summit for Norway in late April.
We were a group of 50—tour operators, destination representatives, journalists, and association execs. We journeyed from Tromso to the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and its largest island of Spitsbergen. We were at 78 degrees north latitude, about 800 miles from the North Pole, in the world’s northernmost urban community of Longyearbyen—and we saw the world’s most northern DMO! We came together as friends and colleagues, and we left as enlightened ambassadors for Norway, sustainability, and meaningful travel. We left also with many questions … and a lot of work to do.
2023 is the 20th anniversary for Tourism Cares, and because it is NTA’s official nonprofit, I’ve had the privilege of participating in many of their events through the years, including the first in 2003 on Ellis Island. These many experiences have affected me like the rock, silt, minerals, and new-fallen snow have given character and texture to the shifting, surging glaciers of Svalbard. My thoughts, understanding, and knowledge have evolved, with character and texture added from each interaction, connection, and conversation over the years.
The future of these glaciers and the magical place we experienced is under constant threat, and like in many places around the world, there are struggles and conflict for the indigenous people who have lived on and cared for the lands for generations. Our group was there to come to a deeper understanding of tourism’s impact on the environment, local communities, and indigenous people, and to explore how we can be a force for good.
We were moving from the why we needed to do this to the how we will do it.
For this Tourism Care summit, that how involved educational sessions, small group discussions, rich content from local travel professionals and community leaders, experiencing the tourism product, and making commitments for the future.
From the get-go, everything was thought-provoking, and a few points stood out for me.
Aase Marthe Horrigmo, head of Visit Norway, welcomed the group with a concept often repeated throughout the summit. Speaking of the imperative for climate action, she referenced cathedral thinking: That what we are doing or building now related to sustainability, we may not see the results in our lifetime. However, future generations will reap the benefits, and therefore it’s a worthy cause. This analogy resonated with so many of us when contemplating the complexity of sustainability.
We had an untarnished sharing from the Sami, the indigenous people of Norway. Sandra Marja West with the Sami Council talked about generations of discrimination. She described the struggles of her people living true to their heritage and traditions when it intersects and conflicts with tourism and travel promotions. Sandra explained that cultural appropriation can portray a one-dimensional perspective of the Sami rather than a rich, multifaceted view of her people. The Sami have a culture of treasuring the land and leaving no trace when they’ve enjoyed or used it. Yet, do they present their own culture, or do they present what tourists expect from them? Does the economic benefit of tourism prevail over heritage?
Story continues after photo gallery
