Episode 6: Risk and Regulation – Is climate a ticking time bomb for those not yet on board? ?

Sponsored by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lemongrass⁠⁠⁠⁠

Holly and Richard discuss climate risk and regulation with guests Jeremy Sampson, CEO, The Travel Foundation and Willy Legrand, Professor of Tourism, Hospitality and Event Management at IU International University.

In this episode, we unpack:

• What climate regulation, if any, is coming for the tourism industry 
• How risk associated with climate collapse is making some tourism products and destinations unviable 
• How we could turn demanding systemic challenges into creative and innovative solutions 
• What businesses need to do now to future proof for a changing world 
• The need to rebrand climate action, adaptation and risk to galvanise coordinated action 
• Why we might be getting too distracted by frameworks and certifications

”The most durable sustainability shifts probably happen when grassroots momentum creates political permission for smart regulations” Willy Legrand

“We’ve got an ‘urgency deficit’ because there are so many distractions, everything overrides the long-term, even in business and even if it’s an existential threat.” Willy Legrand

”The biggest risk is that people think that climate change is tomorrow's work, but it's today's risk.” Jeremy Sampson 

“We are in a pre-regulation phase where there are lots of signals that tourism will have to be regulated.” Jeremy Sampson

Find out more about our guests in this episode:

Jeremy Sampson, CEO, The Travel Foundation

Willy Legrand, Professor of Tourism, Hospitality and Event Management at IU International University

Show notes:⁠⁠

Empowering Consumers Directive, also known as the Directive on Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition, is a new EU law that came into force in March 2024, with an application date of September 27, 2026.

Economic losses from extreme weather events in 2025 amount to 43 billion Euros, as published in The Guardian.

Where next? – Travel Foundation – a new report that sets out a global action agenda for tourism’s climate transition. It outlines four practical, interconnected ideas that would allow tourism to course-correct, at the scale and pace needed, towards climate resilience, economic viability and social equity for destinations worldwide.

New Guide to Action on Climate Change – Travel Foundation – a new edition of the report, Destination Stewardship: A Guide to Action on Climate Change, with Destination Wayfinder. It outlines 37 actions and lots of case studies from around the world.

Destination RiskScan: Innovation for tourist destinations in a warming world contains info about the Travel Foundation's Destination Climate RiskScan initiative, which aims to help tourism destinations around the world better understand and respond to climate change risks.

Follow for more:

⁠Holly Tuppen⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠Richard Hammond⁠⁠⁠

And helpful information from our sponsors, ⁠Lemongrass PR⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠:

• Communicating Impact: Why It Matters for Travel Brands and 10 Ways to Communicate It Effectively
• Economic Leakage In Tourism: What Is It, And What Can Travel Brands Do About It?
• Our Impact Report – and 6 top tips for doing your own
• Overtourism: A Wicked Problem in Need of New Solutions
• How we are reducing our Carbon Emissions with Carbon Budgets
• 5 things we learnt from Carbon Literacy training and how it can help your travel business

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It’s a Journey is a ground-breaking podcast series hosted by Richard Hammond, Publishing Director of Green Traveller Media and Holly Tuppen, sustainable travel writer and expert. Sponsored by Lemongrass, it tackles the uncomfortable, complex, and often overlooked questions facing the travel industry as it strives to have a better impact on people and places.

Thanks for listening! Please submit any questions or comments to ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠

Get in touch about opportunities at ⁠⁠⁠⁠itsajourney.fm⁠