The tourism industry has experienced significant growth, allowing millions of people to explore different destinations around the world. However, alongside this increase in travelling, there is a reality that is often overlooked: the profound impact of tourism on the environment, communities and local cultures if not sufficiently managed by the destination. 

While travel is becoming more accessible and attractive, many travellers may not know the impact regenerative tourism has on supporting local businesses and products. Regenerative tourism aims to ensure that travel and tourism support long-term renewal and flourishing of our social-ecological systems and provide a net positive benefit to people, places, and nature. The impact measured is to vision the benefits, changes and improvements (or not) that are a direct result of the outcomes of the activities, programmes or services provided/participated. By measuring the impact it can help to determine the effectiveness of the actions. This module seeks to uncover the impact storytelling in regenerative tourism can offer in different destinations and how to measure it. 

At the centre of this discourse is an exploration of the use of stories to mitigate the negative impacts of tourism and increasingly develop projects and initiatives that create positive impacts and well-being for local communities. The module highlights the initiatives being taken by tourism boards etc. and governments to promote sustainable and regenerative practices by utilising storytelling, engaging local communities and balancing economic progress with environmental, social and cultural protection.

As part of a comprehensive analysis, this module aims to equip tourism learners and professionals with the necessary knowledge and strategies to navigate this sector. It emphasises the importance of the different impacts on environmental, social and cultural impacts, promoting visitor education and encouraging collaboration to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations. The SDGs are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. They encompass various goals, including environmental sustainability, social inclusion and economic growth. By aligning tourism practices with these goals, the module aims to contribute to global efforts towards a more sustainable, regenerative and responsible tourism industry. Finally, it outlines methods you can use to assess your own impact when travelling, providing services or considering new experiences to promote a holistic approach to sustainable and regenerative tourism.

Tourism consumption, characterised as a typical experiential purchase, is closely linked to emotions and plays a crucial role in creating memorable tourism experiences that impact people’s lives (Jepson & Sharpley, 2015; Stone, Migacz, & Wolf, 2018; Su & Hsu, 2013). These emotions not only serve as important motivators for leisure travel, but also play a central role in shaping tourism experiences and the impact it has on the destination. 

In recent years, with the normalisation of overseas tourism, society’s focus on the impact of travel has diminished. Some people are unaware of or overlook the environmental, social and cultural impacts associated with tourism. The increase in transport options, particularly air travel, has led to a significant increase in personal and business travel and has sparked debates about its environmental impact (Otero, 2021). In particular, reports from organisations such as GreenPeace highlight the environmental impact of air travel and emphasise that it contributes to environmental degradation, especially as air travel is often the more economical option compared to rail travel for similar distances.

However, it is important to recognise that tourism can also have a positive impact on the environment by actively promoting nature conservation. Regenerative tourism initiatives can raise awareness of environmental, cultural and social values and facilitate the implementation of conservation projects to protect the destination (Sunlu, 2003).

Furthermore, the importance of tourism goes beyond individual experiences to encompass the complex relationships between tourists, host communities and cultures. Throughout the travelling process, tourists interact with different people who facilitate their experiences (Reisinger, 1994). At the centre of this dynamic are the host communities who share their culture and act as ambassadors of their heritage. Culture, encompassing art, traditions and ways of life, is a dynamic entity that tourists inevitably come into contact with when travelling. It is important that visitors recognise the impact of tourism on culture, including the potential disruption and harm it can cause. For example, tourists may unintentionally influence the host culture, resulting in changing attitudes, behaviours, culinary preferences, musical traditions and social interactions within the host community.

This module examines the diverse impacts of tourism on destinations, considering both positive and negative aspects. In addition, the reciprocal relationship between destinations and visitor experiences will be discussed, as destinations can influence visitors just as visitors can influence destinations. In this module, you will gain insight into how to effectively measure these impacts and develop strategies to promote positive experiences that benefit tourism professionals and visitors alike.

Irresponsible travelling habits have a significant negative impact on destinations. Here are some of the negative effects:

1. Over-tourism: this is when an overwhelming number of tourists flock to a single destination, leading to environmental and social problems for the local ecosystem and inhabitants. Places particularly affected include Barcelona, Bali, Rome and the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. (Leathy, 2023). 

2. Water resources: The tourism industry often puts undue pressure on freshwater resources as hotels offer amenities such as swimming pools and golf courses, leading to increased water consumption by tourists.

3. Local resources: The influx of visitors can put pressure on local resources such as energy and food supplies due to increased demand.

4. Air pollution: The means of transport used in tourism, especially air travel, contribute significantly to air emissions. Studies show that a single transatlantic return flight can cause almost half of the CO2 emissions generated by an average person’s annual consumption of resources (ICAO, 2001).

5. Noise pollution: Noise pollution not only causes stress and possible hearing loss for people, but also affects wildlife and disturbs their habitat.

6. Light pollution: Also known as artificial light at night, referring to excessive use of outdoor artificial lighting. This causes disruption to natural wildlife, contributes to elevated levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere, disturbs human sleep patterns, and obscures the visibility of stars in the night sky. 

7. Aesthetic pollution: This type of pollution is often overlooked when tourism infrastructure does not harmonise with the natural features of the destination. For example, large resorts built in unspoilt natural areas can disrupt the visual appeal of the surroundings.

8. Conflicts with locals: The mismanagement of tourism in cities has led to conflicts with the local population. Many residents feel that tourism has a negative impact on their homes and towns and detracts from the overall experience for visitors and the community’s welcoming attitude towards them.

Tackling these negative impacts requires coordinated efforts by all local stakeholders and proactive measures by destinations to raise awareness, adopt regenerative practices and promote responsible tourism to minimise negative impacts. It is equally important to educate tourists about responsible travel practices.

In the field of tourism, storytelling proves to be an important tool for creating shared values. Through the process of discovery, experience and storytelling, a narrative is created that resonates with both hosts and tourists. These narratives fulfil the tourists’ search for meaningful experiences and leave a lasting impression of the destinations. By fostering shared emotional connections through immersive experiences and impactful narratives, destinations can effectively address these challenges.

When a regenerative experience is being produced in a certain place it can help to combat the negative impacts mentioned before. But change needs a holistic approach and requires a significant change at a deep level where inspirational stories, motivational actions lead the tourism industry. Destinations have the power to be more creative and resilient to ensure improvement. This can be done by making conscious and mindful tourism marketing, product development and policy formulation regarding tourist generation and management decisions to create awareness about how, when and where to travel. The health of the tourism industry will ultimately be determined by the health of destinations and the tolerance and level of welcoming of the host community (Hussain, 2021). To mitigate the negative impact it requieres a change in the actual travel paradigm. 

Restricting tourist activities and controlling visitor flows in protected areas are measures taken by several European countries to mitigate the negative impacts of tourism. These restrictions are aimed at preserving valuable resources, reducing the environmental impact and regulating short-term rentals. For tourism development, it’s important to involve regenerative practices in a holistic way. 

Source: ECA, based on the analysis of documents from UNWTO, OECD and WTTC. 

Many hosts in touristic cities are actively using storytelling to promote regenerative experiences to tackle the negative impacts. In Luxembourg, for example, a group of six adventurous women founded “Velosvedetten” with the aim of exploring Luxembourg’s natural beauty and cultural heritage by bike and inviting all visitors to join them. In Labrador, Canada, “The Story Exchange” serves as a platform that connects travellers to share valuable information with future explorers, empowering communities and celebrating local culture. Visitor participation in these initiatives has significantly changed the outlook of the regions involved. 

To further explore these stories and similar initiatives in different countries, you can visit the following link: [https://enforce-project.eu/interactive-map].

These initiatives prioritise sustainable and regenerative tourism practices that respect the needs and concerns of residents while promoting responsible tourism development. Collaborative efforts between tourism stakeholders, policymakers and local communities are crucial to achieving a balance between economic growth and the well-being of local populations in areas characterised by tourism.

Tourism experts know how complicated the industry is, especially as the number of visitors to various cities has risen sharply in recent years. This influx not only boosts local spending but also directly benefits local businesses, which in turn affects employment rates and tax revenues, contributing to the economic prosperity and social well-being of a destination (Pollock, 2019).

Travelling, once a privilege reserved for the few, has now become an integral part of many people’s lives and has numerous positive effects. Exploring new cultures, traditions and countries can significantly change an individual’s perspective. Collecting memories of these experiences offers the opportunity for personal enrichment and a broader worldview.

Storytelling can help tourism destinations resonate strongly with tourists who value genuine experiences and a deeper involvement in their own travel experiences. If you are a tourism professional trying to make a positive impact through storytelling, ask yourself what the bigger story behind the destination is. Look for ways to create a tourism experience that helps preserve the culture, language and other important characteristics of the destination. Keep in mind that visitors choose a place because of its significance to their family history, its stories or the experiences it has to offer. Every attraction, hotel and town can be brought to life with a good story that brings a variety of benefits to the destination. Remember to involve the local community and to be innovative.

Travel serves as a gateway to broaden our horizons, and improve our personal growth and our understanding of the world. Whether you are drawn to intense experiences in nature, such as hiking or wildlife encounters, or whether you prefer the tranquillity of a seaside retreat, travelling always brings positivity and contributes to your happiness.

This transformative experience often extends to locals who educate their visitors. Creating lasting memories of a place has a deeper impact than statistical data. Locals who preserve their homes are often willing to show visitors how to preserve and care for their surroundings. Locals recognise the symbiotic relationship between their livelihoods and interactions with visitors and share their insights with them, encouraging tourists to care for their environment, culture and society as well.

The core issue is not travelling itself, but the way destinations develop and evolve. It is crucial to build connections with local communities, support their businesses and learn about the destinations visited. The overall experience begins with the arrival of the tourist, then the accommodation and the different visits and activities they take part in. 

Tourism plays a central role in the preservation and conservation of cultural heritage, which is an important aspect of community identity and cohesion. However, excessive or poorly managed tourism can jeopardise the integrity and physical aspects of culture and threaten landmarks and historic sites.

Efforts to preserve culture include not only heritage sites but also attitudes towards tourism. Residents’ support for tourism often depends on perceived benefits such as access to recreational facilities and the belief that tourism development contributes to the preservation of the environment (Lankford et al., 2003).

In the case of Ecotourism, it is a means of preserving traditional ways of life, heritage and traditions while protecting natural resources. This approach aims to create a balance between tourism and cultural preservation and to ensure a harmonious coexistence between visitors and local communities. 

When identifying authentic and immersive experiences, we usually look for those that have an impact on culture. A good example of this is festivals or culinary experiences where there is space for communities and visitors. 

As we have seen, stories can help mitigate the negative effects, for example: 

Overtourism: The Shetland Fire Festival shows the country’s strengths when it comes to meeting the general tourism trend for authentic experiences and extending the tourist season.

Light pollution: The Bio Hotel St Daniel in Slovenia has dedicated its hotel to sustainability. The hotel contributes to environmental protection by minimising light pollution.

Local resources: The ”Old Mill” is a story that takes place in Catalonia and revitalises a traditional dish that has great cultural significance in the region. The products used all come from the region and are also sold in local restaurants.

Click on this link to read more regenerative experiences that have shown an impact: https://enforce-project.eu/interactive-map (Information in: English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Slovenian, Turkish, Bulgarian)

The tourism industry is making considerable efforts to research traveller satisfaction and what makes a positive experience for travellers. Various factors are taken into consideration when travellers choose a holiday destination. Surprisingly, expensive experiences often lead to less satisfaction as they do not match the perceived value. The core of a tourist’s happiness lies in interactive and interpersonal experiences that contribute significantly to their satisfaction.

Satisfaction with a service or product plays a crucial role in determining whether tourists will visit a destination again or make another purchase. A positive experience often encourages tourists to return, recommend the destination to others and share their positive experiences with others. 

Destinations that offer regenerative experiences connect with tourists on other levels. Tourists are more likely to care about the destination if they feel deeply connected to the place. The goal is to create a positive impact on tourists’ holiday destinations that goes beyond ‘not harming’ and aims to rejuvenate and stimulate, resulting in a positive impact on domestic populations and markets. Research has shown that there is a positive correlation between engagement in regenerative tourism and tourist satisfaction (Hussian, 2021)

Tourism is not just about providing a service, but about creating unique experiences. The impact on a visitor’s life is the ideal outcome for a destination. There are many ways to determine how an experience has positively or negatively impacted a person’s visit. It can be calculated in terms of “quality”, “value” and “satisfaction”, among others (Jennings and Nickerson 2006; J.-H. Kim, Ritchie and McCormick 2012).

Professionals who understand the impact an experience can have on a traveller’s life and how often the individual remembers the experience and passes it on to others, choose to focus their destination on such unique experiences and promote them. One example of this is the “Museum A Possen”, which invites visitors to travel back in time and engage with the stories of the lives of Luxembourgers centuries ago. The experience is so immersive that visitors are more likely to return after their visit. Or they explain their experience in such a way that those who hear it feel the desire to have the same experience by visiting the same destination.

Tourism professionals need a tool to measure the impact of their offerings on tourism, as this is the only way to gain insight into areas that need improvement and to identify opportunities for broader expansion. 

How to measure the impact: 

Memory is the key to impact because it is the process by which information is stored over time. Personal memory has temporal limits, from storing information within a few seconds (sensory memory) to storing information indefinitely (long-term memory) (Craik and Lockhart, 1972). There are two sub-dimensions that depend on the type of information, namely semantic and episodic memory. Semantic memory includes information such as facts (the name of a city, recalling the currency, recalling basic foreign laguage phrases…) that are remembered but not revived. When creating a regenerative experience, we want to consider episodic memory, i.e. information in which the event is recalled with details, setting and emotions (reflecting on the joy of meeting new people, recalling the taste of exotic street food…) (Tulving, 2002).

Memory conveys behavioural intentions and is a necessary component of the customer experience. The experience can build an emotional connection or attachment to the place through tourism (Prayag and Ryan 2012; Williams and Vaske 2003). Tung and Ritchie (2011) conducted a thorough literature review on tourism experiences, satisfying experiences, memorable experiences, –mindfulness, and memory formation and retention to capture the definition and dimensions of memorable experiences through in-depth interviews.

Given the importance of personal memory, tourism experiences and the integration of memory in tourism, we need to investigate the measurement of experiences in destinations. The Tourism Autobiographical Memory Scale (TAMS) was developed for this purpose. Bluck (2003) and Fitzgerald and Broadbridge (2013) were influencers in the development of this primary construct for measuring memory in a tourism context.

The TAMS consists of eight autobiographical memory questions that measure tourism experiences. The variables were coded on a 3-point scale: 0 = neutral, 1 = moderately positive or negative, 2 = positive or negative, 3 = extremely positive or negative.

Tourism Autobiographical Memory Scale, 2018

Once the hosts have the responses, they can understand the depth of impact (what effect an experience may have on the person) and the strength of repetition (how often the person remembers and shares the experience with others). Once they have analysed these outcomes, they can manage their desire for these specific experiences. It’s difficult for experience providers to measure word of mouth and social media presence, but they still want to provide an experience that people will talk about. Using the TAMS provides an indication of the type of experience that makes the strongest impression, so it is more likely to result in a strong memory and response from visitors. The questionnaire consists of eight questions, so it is short and can be completed by any tourism professional. For tourism research, memories are a direct source of information that can be used to measure the impact of a story on a person. The TAMS and autobiographical memory not only provide a unique measurement of experiences, but also allow for a deeper examination of the “self-defining qualities” inherent in certain experiences (Fivush et al. 2011).

Destinations that are not managed appropriately can be at the expense of local people and their homelands. Some multinational companies capitulate popular destinations to the detriment of local residents. In such places, locals are often forced out of their homes due to gentrification caused by tourist demand. The aim is for tourists to leave the place in a better condition than they found it. Regenerative tourism requires professionals to find creative ways to offer experiences that lead to this outcome.

When we craft a story for a regenerative experience, we have the power to rejuvenate not only the mind of the tourist, but also the destination. Assessing the impact of regenerative tourism includes both qualitative and quantitative assessments. Some of the indicators that tourism professionals can use to measure impact are:

• Socio-Cultural Impacts: Interviewing and getting to know in a more detailed way the local community to discover the different benefits but also the challenges brought by tourism. By really immersing oneself in the community you have the opportunity to track the traditions, and cultural aspects that can help tourism the local community  when creating tourism initiatives in their homes. 

• Environmental Impact: There are many sites where one can calculate the carbon footprint generated by different tourism activities. Here is an example: https://carboncalculator.spain.info/en/calculator 

• Economic Impact: The economic contribution is one of the most important aspects of tourism. By creating an experience, it contributes to the host community and at the same time brings financial benefits to the business that developed it. Regenerative experiences are either run by or look to partner with local communities. This ensures that the money flows into the destination, not to outside investors.
• Personal Impact: As mentioned earlier, storytelling can have an incredible impact not only on people’s tourist experience, but also on their personal lives. If you want to know how to create a good story, click on the link to The Storyteller’s Guide: https://enforce-project.eu/destination-storytelling 

Taking responsibility is the first step. Professionals have to recognise tourism as an industry responsible for creating conditions for the destination and the tourists.