Themed editorial: Global trends – re-thinking tourism: where is it going and how will it impact people and planet?

Citation

Teare, R.E. (2023), "Themed editorial: Global trends – re-thinking tourism: where is it going and how will it impact people and planet?", Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, Vol. 15 No. 6, pp. 593-594. https://doi.org/10.1108/WHATT-12-2023-182

This is my final issue as an Emerald Journal Editor. I have served in this privileged role for 35 years, and I am confident that the team taking over from me will build on this journal's achievements over the past 15 years with fresh vision and enthusiasm. There are numerous people I would like to thank, and I will do this in a farewell blog that will be uploaded to the WHATT homepage in early November.

I am really pleased that my final issue coincides with our annual Global Trends issue, theme edited by Dr Jorge Costa, Mónica Montenegro and João Gomes who established our annual Global Trends series in 2016. Led by Jorge, our Global Trends Editor, they organize an annual industry event so that invited representatives from academia, associations, government, industry and professional and trade bodies can meet, share and respond to a key industry-led question relating to tourism trends. This year's writing team consists of senior academics, the president of the world tourism network, the Azores regional secretary for tourism, mobility and infrastructure, the Madeira regional secretary for tourism and culture and president of the Madeira promotion bureau, the president and the executive director of the Porto and North of Portugal tourism association, the president of the Portuguese hotels association, the president of the association of hotels, restaurants and similar establishments of Portugal and the president of the Portuguese association of travel and tourism agencies. Gathering a group like this is challenging and helping them to turn their thoughts into articles perhaps even more so because busy, senior practitioners do not normally have time to publish their work. Yet this is why Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes is unique: we focus on finding solutions to industry-led questions by drawing on the widest possible range of experience and expertise. My thanks above all, to Jorge for all you have achieved with the annual Global Trends series: the articles are widely read, cited and relevant to the challenges of an industry in transition. Long may your work continue!

Richard Teare

Managing Editor, WHATT

Re-thinking tourism: where is it going and how will it impact people and planet?

More than three years after the first case of Covid-19, the tourism industry, one of the hardest hits, is again on an upwards trajectory, surpassing 2019 performance levels. The disruption caused by the pandemic revealed both vulnerabilities and opportunities within the sector and in doing so, it is timely to re-think how the world's tourism industry might address these issues.

An analysis of how the industry was evolving at the end of 2019 and the major impacts brought about by the pandemic highlights some key areas that must be considered in future tourism development: health and safety protocols, sustainable tourism, digital transformation, diversification, flexible booking policies, crisis management and preparedness, the shift in travel patterns, collaboration and coordination, economic support and re-skilling and training.

These and other topics were carefully analyzed and discussed by our team of writers drawn from industry, associations, government and academia. It is their unequivocal view that now is the time to rebuild the tourism industry in a more resilient, sustainable and adaptable way. In fact, embracing change and innovation at the present moment will help in ensuring the sector's long-term health and success. This is also our view: if the tourism industry is to evolve in a way that positively impacts both people and the planet, it should focus on sustainable, responsible and community-driven practices, where the outcomes of the tourism activity are shared with all those involved in the process of tourism-making.

On a final note, we would like to take this opportunity to extend our gratitude and admiration to Professor Richard Teare, the WHATT Managing Editor, for creating a unique space where open discussion on key tourism-related issues is facilitated at the intersection between high-quality research and the best ideas and practices in the industry. We dedicate this year's Global Trends issue to Richard, an example of an academic who is always concerned with ensuring that research makes practical contributions to solving problems in the tourism industry. Well done and thank you very much!

Jorge Costa

Global Trends Editor