Change and transformation need to go hand in hand with policy. In the travel industry, the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) is the one driving policy change globally. This week’s guest, Natalia Bayona, the Director of Investments, Innovation and Education, shares a unique unified vision for all actors to join together in these times of change. I follow Natalia’s work closely as she is one of the key people driving high-level impact investments to empower the tourism innovation ecosystem to create a more sustainable sector. She also has the strategic and policy oversight with strong leadership, making a consistent call to action that allows us to jump in and participate in redesigning policy at a global level. A must episode if you want to understand the global vision and how all stakeholders are moving together in the space today.

We start the year with Aga Szóstek, PhD, a strategic designer guru who has worked at the forefront of combining design, technology, and business for the past two decades. She collaborated with brands such as Google, Philips, Canon, Samsung, EY, Santander, ING, Orange, and many more, bringing the experience-focused strategic approach to project teams and boardrooms. Her approach has inspired many organisations to refocus and bet on experiences as their market differentiator. She recently published "The Umami Strategy: Stand Out by Mixing Business with Experience Design” and hosts a creative leadership podcast. In this episode, we discuss strategy, experience design, positive adaptation, mystery and ideas for the emerging transformation economy in travel. This episode is a must for anyone currently redesigning their business strategy to meet the new market demands where expectation creation and delivery are at the core of their value proposition.

What a ride! As I started reflecting on this year and all the layers of different things that have happened, I wanted to share from a personal perspective, as a small business owner, as an entrepreneur in the TRAVEL industry, as a university professor, as a person who is living very far from her family and relatives, as someone who travelled 6 months every year to meet friends all over the world, as someone who doesn´t like being told what to do, as someone who has been confined before at the age of seven, as someone who has been advocating for a change on how “business as usual” is done, and so on. So many layers, and this year they all collapsed into one. With this premise, I just started talking and sharing what came. No script, just a stream of consciousness of thoughts linked to this year.

This week we are speaking with Claus Raasted, a creative entrepreneur, master storyteller, and innovation specialist. Claus is the Director of the College of Extraordinary Experiences and a consultant on travel and innovation at McKinsey & Company. He also designs immersive and interactive events that invite people to change their perspectives. A truly disruptive mind, once you meet Claus, you don´t forget. In this episode, Claus shares top tips from his most recent book “The Innovation Cycle” and we challenge the status quo in travel through questions that will help you see it in a whole new way. For example, how can destinations re-imagine themselves without physical visitors? The travel industry needs to change, and it all starts by asking the right questions. What will you be inspired to ask next?

Today I am joined by Anna Alaman, a social travel expert that founded a unique women-first travel operator in India. She has been a pioneer in Delhi, training and hiring women as tour guides and taxi drivers in a 95% male-dominated industry. Designing for gender-equality, rather than managing women's empowerment is an example of how regenerative travel can change the industry. This episode is for anyone who wants to dive into the world of beautiful India under a women-powered regenerative lens.

This week we are speaking with Charles Michel, a food activist working at the intersection of science, art, community and entrepreneurship. He recently starred in Netflix “The Final Table” where he literally showed how food literacy is changing the world. In this episode we talk about the cutting-edge projects he is currently working on and ideas on how to regenerate travel. If you are a foodie, this episode is a must.

Today, I’m joined by one of Britain’s most influential disabled people and a travel/marketing entrepreneur. He is most known for his company Accomable, the “disabled Airbnb” that got bought by Airbnb in 2018. Martyn has been championing the underserved disabled community of 1.3 billion people who are looking to have their needs met. He is currently co-founder and CEO of two initiatives, Disability Horizons Magazine and most recently, the Purple Goat Agency which offer multimedia marketing and connect brands to the disabled community. A world traveller, Martyn is full of fascinating stories, and this episode will transport you into a travel journey that shows where there’s a wheel, there is a way!