Nayara Resorts is confronting one of tourism's most overlooked problems—the housing crisis that forces local workers out of their communities in remote areas—by building homes for its most vulnerable employees.

In this ILTM episode, recorded live in Cannes, Leo Ghitis, CEO of Nayara Resorts, joins Afar editor in chief Julia Cosgrove to discuss how the luxury resort group is addressing both environmental devastation and social inequality in Latin America's rural communities.

Leo shares Nayara's 15-year evolution from "improvising" regenerative travel to implementing a 10-year strategic plan with environmental consultants. The results include planting 40,000 trees to restore a barren mountain in Costa Rica, creating the only carbon-neutral luxury hotel in Chile, and operating a 100 percent off-grid island resort in Panama powered entirely by solar energy.

But it's Nayara's housing project that represents its most ambitious social initiative—subdividing land near its Costa Rica properties to provide subsidized lots and mortgages to female-headed households, with no requirement that recipients continue working at the resort.

As Leo explains, meaningful luxury today isn't about escaping the world but engaging with it in a safe, sensitive way—and younger travelers increasingly choose hotels based on their positive impact rather than their amenities.

What You'll Learn

Key Moments

Resources

Stay Connected

⁠⁠⁠Sign up⁠⁠⁠⁠ for our travel industry newsletter, Afar Advisor.

Sign up for our podcast newsletter,⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Behind the Mic⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, where we share upcoming news and behind-the-scenes details of each episode. 

Explore our other podcasts,⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Unpacked,⁠⁠⁠⁠ where we dig into the trickiest topics in travel, and⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Travel Tales⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, which celebrates first-person narratives about the way travel changes us.

View From Afar is part of⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Airwave Media⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠'s podcast network. Please contact ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠ if you would like to advertise on our podcast.

This ILTM special series was recorded live in Cannes, France. View From Afar is a production of Afar. The podcast is produced by Aislyn Greene and Nikki Galteland.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Langham Hospitality Group is proving that heritage brands can innovate without losing their soul, transforming historic buildings into contemporary luxury destinations while maintaining the personal service that defines true hospitality.

In this ILTM⁠ (International Luxury Travel Market), recorded live in Cannes, Bob van den Oord, CEO of Langham Hospitality Group, joins Afar editor-in-chief Julia Cosgrove to share how he's guided the 160-year-old brand through thoughtful expansion that honors its British legacy while embracing modern wellness, design, and guest expectations.

Bob discusses Langham's journey from opening Europe's first grand hotel with elevators in 1865 to current projects converting iconic buildings—from Chicago's former IBM building to Bangkok's historic Custom House—into luxury properties that tell compelling local stories. The brand now operates with what Bob calls "a British heart, an Asian soul, and a global mindset," creating spaces where posh pubs coexist with traditional Chinese medicine spas and cooking schools share space with world-class bars.

Bob also explores the challenge of attracting Gen Z talent to hospitality through specialized academies and how the "Langham Way" of unscripted, authentic service remains the brand's non-negotiable standard across all properties.

What You'll Learn

Key Moments

Resources

Stay Connected

Sign up⁠ for our travel industry newsletter, Afar Advisor.

Sign up for our podcast newsletter, ⁠⁠Behind the Mic⁠⁠, where we share upcoming news and behind-the-scenes details of each episode. 

Explore our other podcasts, ⁠Unpacked,⁠ where we dig into the trickiest topics in travel, and ⁠⁠Travel Tales⁠⁠, which celebrates first-person narratives about the way travel changes us.

View From Afar is part of⁠ ⁠⁠Airwave Media⁠⁠⁠'s podcast network. Please contact ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠ if you would like to advertise on our podcast.

This ILTM special series was recorded live in Cannes, France. View From Afar is a production of Afar. The podcast is produced by Aislyn Greene and Nikki Galteland.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For more than four decades, Matthew Upchurch has been a driving force behind how high-end travel is sold, experienced, and understood. As CEO of ⁠Virtuoso⁠ , one of the world's leading luxury travel networks, he's championed human connection in an increasingly digital world and advocated for the enduring value of trusted advisors and transformative, purpose-driven travel.

In this ILTM episode, recorded live in Cannes, Afar cofounder Joe Diaz sits down with Matthew to discuss how the luxury sector is evolving, what personalization really means today, and where he sees the next opportunities for meaningful travel experiences.

The conversation explores how AI is reshaping the advisor role, why debriefing clients is the most underrated skill in the business, and how intergenerational collaboration is breathing new life into travel advising.

What You'll Learn

•       Matthew's philosophy of "automate the predictable so you can humanize the exceptional" and how AI amplifies rather than replaces advisors

•       The critical difference between service (what you do) and hospitality (how you make someone feel doing it)

•       Why the quality of the post-trip debrief is the number one factor that separates transactional agents from trusted advisors

•       The concept of "unique ability teams" and why pairing right-brain

•       How the travel advisor profession has evolved from GDS "human ATMs" to unchained creative professionals

•       The "FOMO to Slowmo" trend and other shifts in how luxury travelers

Key Moments

•       [02:00] Matthew introduces his most quoted line: "Automate the predictable so that you can humanize the exceptional"

•       [03:30] Will Guidara's definition of hospitality: "Service is that thing you

•       [05:00] The framework: what do you do before, during, and after travel—and why the debrief matters most

•       [08:00] Anne Scully's game-changing question: "If you could change one thing about that trip, what would it be?"

•       [09:30] The evolution of travel advisors from the 1950s Pan Am era through GDS to the iPhone-enabled present

•       [12:00] The unique ability concept: what drains you vs. what recharges you, and building teams around this distinction

•       [14:00] Chip Conley's wisdom: "I'll lend you some of my EQ for some of your DQ"—the power of intergenerational collaboration

•       [18:00] The creative tension of sophisticated travelers: returning to beloved places vs. exploring the new

•       [20:00] Why advisors should help clients think strategically about their "most valuable non-renewable asset"—free leisure time

Resources

•       Learn more about Virtuoso and their global network of travel advisors

•       Read Patrick Lencioni's The Advantage and Five Dysfunctions of a Team,

•       Explore Chip Conley's book Wisdom at Work: The Making of a Modern Elder

•       Learn about ILTM Cannes where this conversation was recorded

Stay Connected

⁠⁠Sign up⁠⁠⁠ for our travel industry newsletter, Afar Advisor.

Sign up for our podcast newsletter,⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Behind the Mic⁠⁠⁠⁠, where we share upcoming news and behind-the-scenes details of each episode. 

Explore our other podcasts,⁠⁠ ⁠Unpacked,⁠⁠⁠ where we dig into the trickiest topics in travel, and⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Travel Tales⁠⁠⁠⁠, which celebrates first-person narratives about the way travel changes us.

View From Afar is part of⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Airwave Media⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠'s podcast network. Please contact ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠ if you would like to advertise on our podcast.

This ILTM special series was recorded live in Cannes, France. View From Afar is a production of Afar. The podcast is produced by Aislyn Greene and Nikki Galteland.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Matter of Form is proving that luxury travel brands need therapy—not to fix what's broken, but to discover what makes them singular in a sea of "elevated experiences" and "art of luxury" clichés.

In this ILTM episode, recorded live in Cannes, Anant Sharma, founder and CEO of Matter of Form, joins Afar cofounder Joe Diaz to dissect why luxury hospitality has become awash with homogenized language and how brands can reclaim their confidence through clarity of purpose. With 60 people working across continents, the London-based Matter of Form has transformed hospitality giants like Aman Resorts, Belmond, Mandarin Oriental, and Lindblad by finding the unspoken truths within organizations.

The conversation explores luxury travel's eight percent compound annual growth and $1.38 trillion market size, and why bigger isn't always better when everyone's competing with identical promises.

What You'll Learn

Key Moments

Resources

Stay Connected

⁠Sign up⁠⁠ for our travel industry newsletter, Afar Advisor.

Sign up for our podcast newsletter,⁠ ⁠⁠Behind the Mic⁠⁠⁠, where we share upcoming news and behind-the-scenes details of each episode. 

Explore our other podcasts,⁠ ⁠Unpacked,⁠⁠ where we dig into the trickiest topics in travel, and⁠ ⁠⁠Travel Tales⁠⁠⁠, which celebrates first-person narratives about the way travel changes us.

View From Afar is part of⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Airwave Media⁠⁠⁠⁠'s podcast network. Please contact ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠ if you would like to advertise on our podcast.

This ILTM special series was recorded live in Cannes, France. View From Afar is a production of Afar. The podcast is produced by Aislyn Greene and Nikki Galteland.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

AmaWaterways is expanding river cruising's appeal beyond its traditional audience, drawing in solo travelers, active families, and wellness-focused guests who are discovering this style of travel for the first time.

In this ILTM (International Luxury Travel Market) episode, recorded live in Cannes, Catherine Powell, the new CEO of AmaWaterways, joins Afar editor in chief Julia Cosgrove to reveal the brand's fresh visual identity and expansion plans, including eight new European ships and pioneering Colombian routes.

Catherine brings expertise from Disney Parks and Airbnb to the family-founded company, applying her knowledge of memorable guest experiences to river cruising.

Under her leadership since early 2025, AmaWaterways is cutting through the "sea of sameness" with distinctive branding and curated experiences, from Smithsonian journeys to Soulful Experiences cruises celebrating Black culture. The conversation also explores the brand's pioneering spirit—and how it maintains intimacy while scaling.

What You'll Learn

Key Moments

[13:35] What wellness on board looks and feels like

Resources

Stay Connected

Sign up⁠ for our travel industry newsletter, Afar Advisor.

Sign up for our podcast newsletter, ⁠⁠Behind the Mic⁠⁠, where we share upcoming news and behind-the-scenes details of each episode. 

Explore our other podcasts, ⁠Unpacked,⁠ where we dig into the trickiest topics in travel, and ⁠⁠Travel Tales⁠⁠, which celebrates first-person narratives about the way travel changes us.

View From Afar is part of ⁠⁠Airwave Media⁠⁠'s podcast network. Please contact ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠ if you would like to advertise on our podcast.

This ILTM special series was recorded live in Cannes, France. View From Afar is a production of Afar. The podcast is produced by Aislyn Greene and Nikki Galteland.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Forbes Travel Guide has been the gold standard for luxury hotel ratings for more than 60 years, and its anonymous inspections remain one of the travel industry's most influential forces. In this ⁠ILTM⁠ (International Luxury Travel Market) episode, recorded live in Cannes, Hermann Elger, CEO of Forbes Travel Guide, joins Afar co-founder Joe Diaz to reveal how the guide maintains its integrity while expanding beyond hotels into cruise lines, air travel, and emerging luxury categories.

The conversation covers how Forbes protects inspector anonymity—even from Hermann himself—and why the Standards Advisory Committee includes industry voices to ensure ratings evolve with traveler expectations. Hermann also explores how the five-star standard has become synonymous with excellence across industries and shares its expansion into river cruises, the Edge List for emerging properties, Star Bars, and the Icons List for legendary establishments.

What You'll Learn

Key Moments

Resources

Stay Connected

Sign up⁠ for our travel industry newsletter, Afar Advisor.

Sign up for our podcast newsletter, ⁠⁠Behind the Mic⁠⁠, where we share upcoming news and behind-the-scenes details of each episode. 

Explore our other podcasts, ⁠Unpacked,⁠ where we dig into the trickiest topics in travel, and ⁠⁠Travel Tales⁠⁠, which celebrates first-person narratives about the way travel changes us.

This ILTM special series was recorded live in Cannes, France. View From Afar is a production of Afar Media. The podcast is produced by Aislyn Greene and Nikki Galteland.

View From Afar is part of ⁠⁠Airwave Media⁠⁠'s podcast network. Please contact ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠ if you would like to advertise on our podcast.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fora Travel is proving that the travel advisor industry can evolve beyond traditional gatekeeping while maintaining professional excellence. In this ILTM (International Luxury Travel Market) episode—recorded live in Cannes—Henley Vazquez, cofounder of Fora Travel, joins Afar cofounder Joe Diaz to share how she's transforming a legacy industry by saying "yes" to a new generation of travel entrepreneurs who don't fit the traditional full-time advisor mold.

Henley discusses her journey from running a traditional agency to launching Fora in 2021, frustrated by having to turn away talented people who couldn't commit to full-time travel planning due to other careers or family obligations. The conversation covers Fora's innovative technology like "bookable quotes" that update in real-time, price monitoring AI that alerts clients to rate changes, and how the platform turns advisors into "wingpeople" rather than middlemen.

Henley also explores the challenge of maintaining community intimacy while scaling to thousands of advisors and why transparency and human connection remain essential even as AI transforms the industry.

What You'll Learn

Key Moments

[5:59] Joe reveals he's actually a Fora advisor himself, surprising Henley and demonstrating the platform's accessibility to non-traditional users

Resources

Stay Connected

Sign up⁠ for our travel industry newsletter, Afar Advisor.

Sign up for our podcast newsletter, ⁠⁠Behind the Mic⁠⁠, where we share upcoming news and behind-the-scenes details of each episode. 

Explore our other podcasts, ⁠Unpacked,⁠ where we dig into the trickiest topics in travel, and ⁠⁠Travel Tales⁠⁠, which celebrates first-person narratives about the way travel changes us.

This ILTM special series was recorded live in Cannes, France. View From Afar is a production of Afar Media and part of the Airwave Media podcast network. The podcast is produced by Aislyn Greene and Nikki Galteland with assistance from Jenn Flowers, Julia Cosgrove, and Joe Diaz.

View From Afar is part of⁠ ⁠⁠Airwave Media⁠⁠⁠'s podcast network. Please contact ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠ if you would like to advertise on our podcast.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do you build a travel company that prioritizes purpose over profit—and still succeed? For James Thornton, CEO of Intrepid Travel, it starts with transparency, ambition, and a commitment to local communities.

In this episode of View From Afar, he chats with Afar director of podcasts Aislyn Greene about how he's steering one of the world's most beloved adventure travel companies through challenges like overtourism, climate change, and the evolving expectations of modern travelers.

In this episode you'll learn:

Don't miss these moments:

[01:45] How James Thornton got into the travel space.

[03:00] Examples from Intrepid's 2025 Not Hot List, including the island in Croatia that was a military zone until the 1980s—and why it's perfect for travelers seeking authentic experiences.

Featured in this episode

Resources

Stay Connected

Sign up⁠ for our travel industry newsletter, Afar Advisor.

Sign up for our podcast newsletter, ⁠⁠Behind the Mic⁠⁠, where we share upcoming news and behind-the-scenes details of each episode. 

Explore our other podcasts, ⁠Unpacked,⁠ where we dig into the trickiest topics in travel, and ⁠⁠Travel Tales⁠⁠, which celebrates first-person narratives about the way travel changes us.

View From Afar is part of ⁠⁠Airwave Media⁠⁠'s podcast network. Please contact ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠ if you would like to advertise on our podcast.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In July 2025, a video from veteran safari guide Nick Kleer went viral, showing more than 150 safari vehicles crowding a single wildebeest crossing in Tanzania's Serengeti. The chaotic scene sparked outrage and raised urgent questions about overtourism in East Africa's most iconic wildlife destinations. But the issue is much more nuanced.

In this episode of View From Afar—the first in a larger safari series that will continue into 2026—Afar senior deputy editor Jennifer Flowers speaks with two veteran safari industry leaders about the crisis threatening the Great Migration and what can be done to ease overtourism, while protecting wildlife and local livelihoods.

Guests

In this episode you'll learn

Key moments

Resources

Be sure to subscribe to the show and to sign up for our podcast newsletter, ⁠Behind the Mic⁠, where we share upcoming news and behind-the-scenes details of each episode. And explore our other podcasts, Unpacked, where we dig into the trickiest topics in travel, and ⁠Travel Tales⁠, which celebrates first-person narratives about the way travel changes us.

View From Afar is part of ⁠Airwave Media⁠'s podcast network. Please contact ⁠[email protected]⁠ if you would like to advertise on our podcast.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

America's birthplace of the revolution is writing new chapters while honoring its historic legacy. In this IPW 2025 episode, recorded live from the conference floor, Martha Sheridan, president and CEO of Meet Boston, joins Afar editorial director Billie Cohen to discuss how the city balances its Revolutionary War heritage with contemporary attractions and diverse neighborhoods.

The conversation covers Boston's ongoing America 250 celebrations, which began early with events like the 250th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party in 2023 and will culminate in a spectacular Fourth of July 2026 celebration featuring the World Cup and tall ships. Martha also discusses emerging neighborhoods like Allston-Brighton with its New Balance development and the Boston Art Triennial running through October, which uses public art installations to guide visitors through over 20 neighborhoods.

Addressing current challenges in international tourism, Martha emphasizes Boston's welcoming message under diverse leadership and the city's continued appeal for business travelers, evidenced by major conventions like Bio bringing 20,000 scientists from around the world. She concludes by highlighting Boston's unique characteristic: the ability to experience vastly different cultures and atmospheres within a 10-minute walk between neighborhoods.

What You’ll Learn

The city’s governor, lieutenant governor, and mayor are all women

2023 was the 250th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party

Boston is planning a massive 4th of July celebration for 2026 and will host several World Cup matches. 

This year is the very first Boston Triennial, through October 2025.

Boston has 23.5 (yes, .5) diverse neighborhoods. 

Key Moments

[05:07] The city’s governor, lieutenant governor, and mayor are all women, and Sheridan credits this trio with helping make Boston an open and welcoming city.

[06:01] Boston has been celebrating since 2023, which was the 250th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party.

[9:02]: Allston–Brighton is one neighborhood that may be less known to tourists, and New Balance built a track there surrounded by a development with restaurants, shops, and activities. 

[10:37] Sheridan stresses that tourism can support community needs by creating jobs, attracting new businesses, and helps strengthen local businesses such as restaurants.  

Resources

Read the transcript of this episode

Learn more about Meet Boston

Listen to Martha's podcast, Boston Found

Find Meet Boston on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok

Read Afar’s recent Boston coverage I

🇺🇸 America 250 Update: In 2026, Boston will host seven World Cup matches and has a blowout 4th of July celebration planned.

Also in this IPW series: Hear from Angela Val, President and CEO of Visit Philadelphia, on how the City of Brotherly Love lives up to its name.

Stay Connected

Subscribe to View From Afar to catch all 20 IPW episodes this week.

Follow @AfarMedia on Instagram and TikTok for behind-the-scenes IPW content.

Sign up for our travel industry newsletter, Afar Advisor.

Rate and review the show to help other travel professionals discover these insights.

Explore our other podcasts, Travel Tales, where we share first-person narratives of trips that have changed us, and ⁠⁠Unpacked⁠⁠, which unpacks a tricky topic in travel each week.

This IPW 2025 special series was recorded live in Chicago. View From Afar is a production of Afar Media and a part of Airwave Media’s podcast network (email [email protected] if you would like to advertise on our podcast). The podcast is produced by Aislyn Greene and Nikki Galteland, with assistance from Michelle Baran and Billie Cohen. Music composition from Epidemic Sound.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices