Circular Destination Experiences

Adriana and Olivér joined us for a fireside chat sharing their perspectives on circular destination experiences and sustainability initiatives.

Greencentive seeks to generate education and entertainment - edutainment - around sustainability. CSCP is a non-profit organisation in Germany; think and do thank working on sustainable projects.

Greencentive seeks to generate education and entertainment - edutainment - around sustainability. CSCP is a non-profit organisation in Germany; think and do thank working on sustainable projects.

Adriana Ballón Ossio, Project Manager at CSCP, and Olivér Szabó, CEO and Founder of Greencentive, joined us for a fireside chat sharing their perspectives on circular destination experiences and sustainability initiatives. Greencentive seeks to generate education and entertainment - edutainment - around sustainability. CSCP is a non-profit organisation in Germany; think and do thank working on sustainable projects.

To begin with, the speakers reflected on the idea of circularity. Adriana mentioned that it is essential to understand that a circular economy is not necessarily sustainable. The art is in translating it into sustainable solutions. She added that we move on from the concept of the end of life to the extension of life by recycling materials and resources. To Adriana, a circular economy is an invitation to collaborate and create synergy between stakeholders. The question that we need to ask ourselves in the process is 'how can my resources be used by someone else?. Adriana has worked with SMEs post-covid time to integrate circularity in business models.

Oliver started Greencentive 5 years ago, looking for ecological products. First, he began running tours in his neighbourhood. Later, to scale up, he started festivals. The EcoHopper introduces shops that contribute to the circular economy but are outside the green circles. Through partnerships, Oliver created an app which today functions in four German cities with the hope to expand further in the future. Thinking about tourism, EcoHopper supports travellers who wish to be sustainable by making more sustainable decisions.

Adriana added that having global experience working with SMEs, for them not receiving governmental support is a major issue. Therefore, to create motivation and incentive, sharing stories from projects in other parts of the world and communicating results and success stories is vital. She added that tourism, as one of the biggest socio-economic activities, has a great impact by creating job opportunities and income. However, at the same time, it is one of the main reasons for pollution and environmental impact. Therefore, we can also look at tourism through the lens of its transformative impact on travellers, integrate elements of circularity and recycling, and involve the local communities. As a result, we can make an impact on people and businesses.

Olive added that the first thing that needs to be considered in making destination experiences circular is to realise the need for supporting localshops and promoting the destination more comprehensively. The idea should be to communicate the inspiring and authentic stories of all people and social projects.

To conclude, Adriana mentioned that ambassadors play a key role in growing circular destination experiences. They are the people who create trends. To move forward from business today to a better version in the future.


Key Takeaways

1. Circular economy initiatives could be incepted in sustainable solutions, moving away from the concept of "end of life" to "extension of life".

2. A circular economy is an invitation to collaboration and creating synergy between stakeholders.

3. SMEs and businesses need wider support, and results from previous successes around the world are good incentives and motivating.

4. Initiatives don’t always have to be major. We can start by making small changes. As an industry, we will see the impact.

Published on:
June 2022
About the contributor

Olivér Szabó


Olivér Szabó (44) found his agency greencentive in 2019 to get everyday people involved in the fight against human made climate change. Motivation based & non dogmatic - motto: Transformation through experience! 

Adriana Ballón Ossio

She is currently working on the integration of circularity and sustainability in the tourism sector as a strategy of post-COVID19 economic recovery in Vietnam and in the development of sustainable value chains to enable access to large scale, clean, secure, and affordable renewable energy in Southern Africa.

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