Less than 24 hours before we start summer, it rains copiously. As if it were a winter day. Unpredictable, perhaps. Unexpected, possibly. With any impact? It all depends on each one of us. How capable is your company of dealing with the unexpected? How do leaders react when faced with the unexpected? As Darwin defended "it is not the strongest that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one that adapts to change". Is Tourism effectively prepared for change?

Much has been heard about a "new normal"... But what was normality then, to be new now? An excess of tourism without limits? A disregard for the environment and communities? An incessant search, without means or measures, for immediate profit? If this was normality, then we don't want to be normal anymore. But, fine, if this is something we are looking for to show us which way we should go in Tourism, then let's simplify:

The "new normal" is sustainability, is regeneration.

We are still in the month of the environment and much has been said these days about the protection of nature and ecosystems, protection of the oceans, microplastics, recycling, circular economy, among other associated topics.

A year ago, also in celebration of Environment Day, the World Tourism Organization launched a program based on ONE PLANET VISION FOR A RESPONSIBLE RECOVERY OF THE TOURISM SECTOR. It was this program, with an alignment based on a recovery of Responsible Tourism, that gave us the final push to launch Please Disturb. We were now even more certain that we were on the right track, that only this could be the direction that Tourism could take:

#RESPONSIBLERECOVERY #BUILDBACKBETTER #RESTARTTOURISM

. For the People

. For the Planet

. For Prosperity

And we add, with a Purpose. These are our Pillars.

One year later, as we once again celebrate World Environment Day, where is this plan?

In this year's celebrations, the World Tourism Organization has once again launched a new guide TRANSFORMING VISION INTO ACTION where the actions for each of the areas of intervention in the recovery of Tourism are now listed.

Last week the Portuguese Tourism Board also announced the program PROGRAMA +SUSTENTAVEL 20-23 and also launched good practice guides for more sustainable tourism.

So, information is not lacking... and now, where do we start? From the perspective of acting locally for global impact, each of the tourism stakeholders has the responsibility to do their part.

And it is here that companies will have to adapt, will have to readjust in order to effectively become competitive and ensure their success in the future. We fully understand that the main objective now is to generate immediate profits to compensate for the losses of these last 18 months. But profit is not, and cannot be your main goal. More than ever it is necessary to plan and have a strategy that includes sustainability in all its pillars: socio-cultural, economic, and environmental.

Sustainability is the new digital.

In the same way that we have adapted to digital in an impressive way and understood its importance and relevance, we will have to do the same process exactly with sustainability. Adopting measures that are based on conscious decisions to protect the Planet, to include People, having a Purpose for Prosperity.

More than just talking about the issue of Sustainability in Tourism, we have to act. More than just being annoyed because it is raining when it should be sunny, we should adapt our companies, our teams, and our leadership to a new Tourism and a new Tourism that emerges: more conscious, more sustainable, more concerned about its impact.

Next time it rains... have your umbrella ready?

PS - in the Please Disturb Tourism Experts team we present efficient solutions for implementing sustainable 360º strategies with People-Planet-Purpose. You don't have to do it all yourself, we are on your side to help you thrive.