Latest news with #NewDestinations
Newsweek
4 days ago
- Newsweek
Gen Z Has Conflicting Takes on Sustainability, Tourism
The youngest generation of adults wants to explore the world, but at what cost to the environment they claim to care for? Although surveys indicate that Gen Z, those born between 1997 and 2012, are more eco-conscious, the data shows conflicting numbers. A recent report by Barclays revealed that Gen Z buyers are prioritizing their spending at businesses that align with their values, particularly in terms of political, social and environmental issues. The Barclays Consumer Spend survey also revealed that they prioritize spending money on experiences that will result in lasting memories. For many, travel hits on both levels, and they're not willing to compromise. "This idea that the young people say, 'Mom and Dad, what did you do to the planet?' Why are they saying that?" Xavier Font, professor at the University of Surrey and editor-in-chief of the Journal of Sustainable Tourism, told the assembled crowd of over 120 attendees at Newsweek's New Destinations event in London last week. They are asking because they want to do more travels that are potentially hazardous to the environment, Font said. "The new generations are flying much more, and for shorter times for longer distances than any other generation before. [The] cost of living crisis [coming out of] COVID has just meant that people want to take shorter, cheaper, but further holidays." Young man taking a selfie with mobile smart phone hiking mountains. Young man taking a selfie with mobile smart phone hiking mountains. iStockphoto/Getty The travelers at the heart of this trend are Gen Z. "Look at the Gen Zs. What I'm hearing from my own daughter, from all her friends, is, 'If I take a full time job, how quickly can I have six months sabbatical before I can start traveling?'," Font told Newsweek's audience. He also explained that some Gen Zs are quitting one job, getting another and taking an extended travel break in between. "Anybody who's had a teenager in the house who basically says they care about the planet, just care how long they spend in the shower, and that will tell you something about how much they care about the planet," Font continued. He said: "I think there's a lot said, and what's done is actually very different. Every time you look at another survey from yet another company says, 'What percentage of people in Europe want to save the planet?' Come on, it's like somebody asking a question, 'Aaron, from one to 10, are you a good parent?' What are we all going to say in a survey? So don't trust a lot of data you can see right now. And stop all of the surveys and all the work, they just point the finger at somebody else. Responsible travel means we all do this, we point at ourselves rather than saying, 'What should somebody else do?' I need to ask myself, 'What should I do?'" Lyn Hughes, editor of Wanderlust magazine, informed the audience that in the magazine's annual survey, 75 percent of respondents, in a variety age groups, expressed interest in sustainable travel. "But, when we actually asked them if their own travels were sustainable, they didn't know," she said, pointing to an education gap. "What you can't do is guilt trip people," she continued. "You can't make them feel bad about their holidays, and it's very unlikely they are going to choose something because it's seen as a sustainable holiday, certainly at this stage, things may change over the years, but what we can do is guide them in the choices, say, organizations, destinations and so on."
Newsweek
5 days ago
- Newsweek
Hawaii Defining Regenerative Travel, Skipping Greenwashing
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The eco-friendly buzzwords used to be responsible travel, then sustainable travel. Now, it's regenerative travel. Panelists at Newsweek's New Destinations travel summit in London last week debated whether these terms are just buzzwords (greenwashing) or if they are actionable, long-term endeavors. "The challenge for me is that regenerative is just the current buzzword. So regenerative used to be sustainable. Sustainable used to be responsible, and it's the current generation's way of making us feel good about ourselves in the doing of the work that we're trying to do," Dr. Aaron Salā, CEO of the Hawai'i Visitors and Convention Bureau, told the assembled crowd of over 120 guests. Salā was joined on the panel by Lyn Hughes, founding editor of Wanderlust magazine, and Xavier Font, professor at the University of Surrey and editor-in-chief of the Journal of Sustainable Tourism. "Hawaii has a regenerative tourism statute, that tourism itself in Hawaii must be regenerative in nature. The statute, however, does not define regenerative. And so we have this challenge and responsibility to look at this rather complex and dynamic terminology," Salā continued. What Hawaii aims to avoid is greenwashing. People gather along Kaanapali Beach on August 5, 2024 near Lahaina, Hawaii. People gather along Kaanapali Beach on August 5, 2024 near Lahaina, Hawaii."There's a term we are familiar with, greenwashing, essentially exaggerating the claims of sustainability that you may make. And we all make those exaggerations on a regular basis, and governments are trying to regulate those more and more," Font told Newsweek's audience. Font also cautions against green hushing. "Green hushing is a term that you can use for speaking quietly about green practice for fear that both consumers and stakeholders will think that you are a less competent company because you're putting too much emphasis on your green practices and [that] you kind of lost focus on what really is important, which is the business," he said. The professor continued: "And we see that the same companies, quite often, are doing both things. But we also see a lot of practices around green hushing from small businesses, because very often they don't know how to talk about sustainability, and they haven't learned how to communicate in a persuasive way, or they end up communicating sustainability to consumers in the same way they would have communicated to their environmental auditor if they happen to have one." Hawaii doesn't plan to greenwash or green hush. "I come from a native Hawaiian perspective, an island worldview, ultimately, is the entire ecosystem. It's not just the one thing, it's not just the baggage, it's not just the check in. It is how the entire ecosystem comes together. And that entire ecosystem must be regenerative that is genealogically linked, that is understanding the trials and tribulations of the past, how we make the past better usage of innovative technology," Salā said. "Ultimately, regenerative for us has to be in the firmament, in the DNA of the doing of the industry. So that regenerative doesn't only create an opportunity for advantageous effect on the visitor, it must also create sustainable effect on the environment and the community that that that stands in the foundation of the industry," he continued.
Newsweek
5 days ago
- Business
- Newsweek
Competition, Cooperation Spurring Success at Istanbul, Dubai Airports
Istanbul and Dubai serve as global centers of aerospace travel, with nearly 200 million travelers serviced via the hubs annually. Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, and Selahattin Bilgen, CEO of Istanbul Airport, joined over 130 travel industry professionals at Newsweek's New Destinations conference in London last week, and shared their views on a number of important topics in the airport industry. Large investments in airport construction Airports, Bilgen said, are catalysts for economic change. Being able to welcome and accommodate large numbers of passengers with ease can help bring prosperity to a region. Two decades ago, Istanbul invested. Regionally advantageous placement (at the center between Asia, Africa and Europe) meant that many major cities, London included, are a three-hour plane ride or less away. Istanbul would be a perfect hub if only it could grow to accommodate airline needs. Dubai has a similar geographical placement. In 2013, Turkey invested in, "a brand-new place from scratch, and the brave plan to transfer all the operations from a 60 million tax airport to a brand-new airport... That was a real challenge and a brave decision to be taken," the CEO said on stage. Istanbul Airport International departures area. Istanbul Airport International departures area. Istanbul Airport Master planning, construction, operational readiness and transfer of operations between the old airport and the new one were completed in-house. "We have designed a brand-new airport from scratch with initial capacity of 90 million, but which will go up to 200 million [in] four phases and transfer, shut down the old airport in just one day, transfer[ed] all the operations to the new one," he said. "We are proud to be one of the players in the industry, not by just building the largest, one of the largest airports in the world, but also exporting some talent as well," Bilgen told the assembled crowd, pointing out that two of his top performers have left to work for Griffiths. Competition or cooperation? "We are competing, but we're also on the same team," Griffiths told Newsweek's audience, responding to a question from panel moderator, Dr. Adil Ali. "Our industry is more open to cooperation and collaboration; it is a necessity. If there's a problem with the airline, if there's a problem with the destination you are going, then it's a problem with your passenger as well," Bilgen added. "I think that competition should be in the interest of the consumer, because I think it's not just about science, it's about the experience on the ground. So that actually should keep us really competitive with airport changes. We're also competitive, hopefully without service offerings. I think that competition is quite healthy," Griffiths told the crowd. Dubai and Istanbul have advantages that other cities, like Tokyo and New York City, which have multiple major airports servicing them, have. "I don't think people say, 'Do you know that looks like a nice airport, I think I'll go to that country.' People go to an airport because it happens to be located in the place that they want to go to. And sometimes, you know, they go to that place despite the airport, not because the airport is a great experience. I think the thing is, the geography of the airport business makes us non-competing, because we're all providing a service. And in fact, we're all part of an ecosystem. Every single airport either provides the start or an end to a journey," Griffiths said. However, there are some areas where major airports compete, Griffiths continued: "In some parts, we are actually competing, because transfer traffic is an absolutely integral part of the necessary workings of a major hub, because you wouldn't have a huge range of destinations served." "Ultimately, the best passenger experience benefits all parties. It serves the market goal," Bilgen added. Dubai International Airport Terminal 3 arrivals area. Dubai International Airport Terminal 3 arrivals area. Dubai Airports Preparing for Impending Change Dubai and Istanbul's locations allow them to be competitive with each other and the rest of the world, serving as gateways to around 240 cities each. Future air travel solutions could grow that number to as many as 300. "I think with changes in aircraft technology, the number of destinations that you can fly to hub airports will continue to grow exponentially," Griffiths said. "There are so many destinations that hitherto have been beyond the reach of smaller airplanes, but that's going to change the number of destinations that are now within the range of the latest Airbus and Boeing single aisle aircraft – [they] will change that dramatically over the next few years."
