Destination Always: Future-proofing destinations to capture the benefits of visitors without trade-offs

Before the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted life around the world, more people were on the move than ever before. In 2019, more than 2.4bn international visits took place, an all-time high in recorded history. The growth of international travellers outstripped the growth of trade in goods by more than 1.5 times between 2010 and 2019. This flow of people within and across borders—alongside the free flow of goods and capital—has contributed to economic growth and increased prosperity for many, although not all, communities around the world.

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However, in recent years, powerful political, social and natural forces have started to undermine people’s ability to move around the world. Political and economic deglobalisation— from increasing anti-immigration sentiments to geopolitical tensions and the fragmentation of global trade—have undermined the movement of goods, capital and people. After three decades of continuing liberalisation, international trade openness (measured as a share of global GDP) has stagnated, declining from 61% in 2011 to 56% in 2019.6 And although the number of visitors and migrants has recovered, and is growing, movement restrictions in various forms have increased significantly in a number of places around the world.

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Additionally, questions have been raised around travel and tourism’s negative impacts on climate change, environmental conservation and preservation of cultural heritage. Some responses have been to push for bans on visiting certain destinations, while others have called for a revamp to embrace more conscious and sustainable ways of travelling. Post-pandemic travel has not slowed, but travellers are increasingly embracing sustainability: a recent survey reveals three-quarters of travellers are actively seeking more sustainable travel options in 2023, and that 60% of travellers made more sustainable travel choices in the last two years.

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And yet, concerns around the sustainability of travel—both environmentally and geopolitically—remain; however, further restrictions on movement of people could come at a significant cost. During the COVID-19 pandemic, global travel and tourism GDP declined by more than 60%, costing more than US$3trn in lost revenue and putting over 100m jobs at risk. Understanding and managing these potential trade-offs is key to driving informed policy decisions around both the flow of visitors and how they interact with economies, societies and the environment.