The Tourism RESET

Is tourism growing for the sake of growing? Who benefits? And who pays the cost? Just some of the questions we unpack in this episode.

This week I sat down with Tina O'Dwyer from Ireland, a renowned strategic advisor in tourism, and one of the few people I've heard put vulnerability and leadership in the same sentence in this industry. Find out why that matters more than you think.

Why this is worth a listen:

🌍 The three eras of tourism, what the era of navigation means and why you need to know this to make sense of what you're probably feeling right now

🌍 Why vulnerability and leadership belong in the same sentence, and what that really means for how we lead

🌍 Why someone said to Tina "stewardship is on all our policy documents but we don't know what it means" and why that gap matters more than you think

If what you've been hearing on the podcast resonates with you, join us over at thetourismreset.com. On-demand video learning built for tourism pros, teams and students, where the world's leading voices and experts come together on the topics shaping the future of the industry.

Welcome back to The Tourism RESET with me, your host, Rebecca Woolford. My guest today is Dr. Lyla June Johnston, aka Lyla June, an Indigenous musician, author, and activist of Diné nation and European heritage.

Lyla’s creativity and passion have engaged audiences around the globe. She blends her study of Human Ecology at Stanford with doctoral research focused on how pre-colonial Indigenous Nations shaped Turtle Island (now called the Americas). Lyla’s wisdom and guidance have completely reshaped how I think about the tourism industry.

Here's what you'll discover in this episode:

🌍 What Turtle Island really means, and why understanding this is foundational for anyone promoting travel in North America

🌍 How generational trauma shapes Indigenous communities, and why tourism professionals and businesses need this context to shape how we see the world

🌍 Three key challenges Indigenous communities face, and how tourism done right can support regeneration rather than extraction

🌍 The critical Indigenous principles of solidarity and reciprocity

Enjoyed listening? Visit thetourismreset.com, on-demand video learning for tourism pros. A great place to begin is the 5 Minute Reset series, (one expert, one topic, less than five mins).

Welcome back to The Tourism RESET with me, your host, Rebecca Woolford. My guests today are Vitória and Alex, mother and son from Cristalino Lodge, a world leading ecotourism lodge in the Southern Amazon, Brazil.

What began as a deep knowing for Vitoria grew into Cristalino Lodge, now safeguarding 11,399 hectares of rainforest (equal in size to two Manhattans). It's a world-leading research hotspot, a sanctuary of immense biodiversity, and a living classroom where over 13,000 children have explored its trails.

Enjoyed listening? Visit thetourismreset.com, on-demand video learning for tourism pros, covering the topics shaping your industry. A great place to begin is the 5 Minute Reset, one expert, one topic, less than five minutes!

Welcome back to The Tourism RESET with me, your host, Rebecca Woolford. My next guest is Dr Freya Higgins-Desbiolles, an academic powerhouse and author who's spent her career advancing justice in tourism.

Freya helped create the Code of Conduct for Tourism in the Holy Land, she's co-authored books on climate justice and community empowerment, and she's working with communities worldwide to reimagine what's possible.

Here's what you'll discover in this episode:

🌍 Why Freya believes traditional tourism has been hijacked and by whom

🌍 Why community-owned AND community-led aren't the same as community-based

🌍 Real world examples where local communities are self-determining their futures

🌍 How to inform yourself. Understand what you're missing. Then choose a pathway.

Enjoyed listening? Visit thetourismreset.com, on-demand video learning for tourism pros, covering the topics shaping your industry. A great place to begin is the 5 Minute Reset, one expert, one topic, less than five minutes!

Welcome back to The Tourism RESET with me, your host, Rebecca Woolford. My guests today are Alessandra Alonso, award-winning founder of Women in Travel CIC - named one of 50 most important women in travel by Wanderlust AND Florbela, a tour guide.

For two decades, Alessandra has been championing women in tourism. It started when she noticed she was always the only woman in the boardroom. Women are 54% of tourism's workforce, yet rarely are they in decision-making roles (even today). So, she built the Tour Guiding Academy to change that. It trains women like Florbela, who at almost 50 reinvented herself as a tour guide fuelled by passion, cultural heritage, and storytelling.

Here's what you'll discover in this episode:

🌍 "There is a lot of talent still totally invisible to industry" - where we're missing out

🌍 Alessandra's journey: from being the only woman in every boardroom to building an academy that transforms lives

🌍 Why curiosity matters: "Don't do things how they've always been done"

Enjoyed listening? Visit thetourismreset.com, on-demand video learning for tourism pros, covering the topics shaping your industry. A great place to begin is the 5 Minute Reset, one expert, one topic, less than five minutes!

Welcome back to The Tourism RESET with me, your host, Rebecca Woolford. My next guest is a trained beekeeper and Intrepid Travel's B Corp Impact Manager. In her spare time Rochelle Turner is the co-chair of Travel by B Corp UK, and is a trustee of the Travel Foundation.

In this episode, discover...

• What it means to be a B Corp travel business. The good, as well as the challenges
• Why governance is crucial for accountability and purpose-driven business
• How tourism can uplift marginalised communities and women
• Why 'good' business can be profitable and much more

Enjoyed listening? Visit thetourismreset.com, on-demand video learning for tourism pros. A great place to begin is the 5 Minute Reset, one expert, one topic, less than five minutes!

Welcome back to The Tourism RESET with me, your host, Rebecca Woolford. Today's guests isJeremy Sampson, CEO of The Travel Foundation.

Here's what you'll hear in this episode:

🌍 "All we want is a hill to die on, and if we die on that hill, so be it." (6:00 mins)

🌍 "I actually walked into the interview thinking The Travel Foundation was TUI's non-profit... it left the Travel Foundation in a precarious position" (9:00 mins)

🌍 "It doesn't feel right and it doesn't feel fair..." (28:03 mins)

🌍 "Adaptation doesn't inspire anyone. Crisis is an endpoint to create something new" (31:30 mins)

Enjoyed listening? Visit thetourismreset.com, on-demand video learning for tourism pros, covering the topics shaping your industry. A great place to begin is the 5 Minute Reset, one expert, one topic, less than five minutes!

Welcome back to The Tourism RESET with me, your host, Rebecca Woolford. Today I sit down with three incredible women, all chiefs of impact and heads of sustainability from major travel companies.

Hear from Sara King from Intrepid Travel, Shannon Guihan from The Travel Corporation, and Kasia Morgan from Exodus Adventure Travels, part of the Travelopia group, as we discuss the misconceptions surrounding their roles, why communication is critical to driving change and touch on climate anxiety and pet peeves that come with the territory.

Enjoyed listening? Visit thetourismreset.com, on-demand video learning for tourism pros, covering the topics shaping your industry. A great place to begin is the 5 Minute Reset, one expert, one topic, less than five minutes!

Behind every great travel or tourism business, no matter the size is someone who asks better questions, takes consistent action, and refuses to choose between profit and purpose.

In this episode, I sat down with Helen Bateman, founder of Firecrest Travel, a UK-based boutique agency with transformative travel and adventure at its heart.

Enjoyed listening? Visit thetourismreset.com, on-demand video learning for tourism pros, covering the topics shaping your industry. A great place to begin is the 5 Minute Reset, one expert, one topic, less than five minutes!

Welcome back to The Tourism RESET with me, your host, Rebecca Woolford. Today, I’m joined by the inspiring Thomas Newmark for a deep dive into the C word!

Carbon. Tom is the Co-owner of Finca Luna Nueva Lodge, who is leading the way in regenerative farming and tourism in not only Costa Rica, but the world.

A seasoned expert and public speaker. Previously the chair of the Greenpeace Fund of the United States. Board chair of the American Botanical Council. And Co‑founder and Board Chair of the Soil Carbon Initiative. Thomas brings decades of wisdom, and he’s not afraid to challenge the status quo.

Enjoyed listening? Visit thetourismreset.com, on-demand video learning for tourism pros, covering the topics shaping your industry. A great place to begin is the 5 Minute Reset, one expert, one topic, less than five minutes!