Let’s reinvent travel.
Leisure Lab is a think tank and media lab to promote sustainable tourism, or as we like to call it BREAK-EVEN TOURISM. In this LAB REPORTS section we publish news articles and create inspirational travel stories to help bring about positive change in the way we travel.
Tourism for Good – Ensuring local people benefit
‘When you think of sustainable travel, what comes to mind? Gorilla trekking in Uganda, perhaps, or a sojourn in a remote yet well-appointed eco-lodge in the forests of Costa Rica […]. If these high-cost trips are what pop into your head, your picture of what qualifies as sustainable tourism is not necessarily wrong – it’s just incomplete,’ says Lucas Peterson, a columnist for The New York Times.
How tour operators are tackling over-tourism
Operators of all sorts – from industry innovators to smaller enterprises – have introduced a range of strategic approaches to address the issues of overtourism, whether it’s tweaking tour dates or adjusting itineraries to minimise the impact on popular places.
Undertourism: These destinations want your attention
In the age of overtourism, the world’s less-visited places are seeing a new opportunity.
The Maasai school teacher using tourism to empower women
Giving girls an education—instead of being sold as a bride for 10 cows—is what motivated Hellen Nkuraiya, herself a child bride, to start a school in Kenya’s Maasai community—even amidst public and family disapproval. Lisa Scott meets her.
Can Venice turn the tide on mass tourism?
In recent years, mass tourism in Venice has driven up rents and driven out locals, leading some to call the city a “historical theme park”. However, some believe that coronavirus is offering an opportunity for change, and Venetian residents are campaigning to protect the heritage of their city. Watch BBC’s The Travel Show episode here.