To attract, engage and support a Conscious Traveller and become appealing as a Conscious Destination, a network of Conscious Hosts practicing Conscious Business and Conscious Marketing needs to be developed.
Thus the focus of the Conscious Travel Movement is on the leadership capacity within the tourism community.
Conscious Hosts are those entrepreneurs, CEOs and managers responsible for shaping their companies who:
- Demonstrate “Conscious Leadership” capacity – Conscious Hosts hosts are, by definition, “awake, alert and aware”. Their leaders have a clear sense of purpose; their decisions are values-based; and the corporate culture is designed to maximize the value to all stakeholders.|
- Design, develop and deliver Transformative Experiences for their guests either individually or in collaboration with local partners that result in high rates of referral; higher spend, longer stays in a region and or repeat visits.
- Show that they care for all the stakeholdersaffected by their business by:
- living in harmony with the natural environment and have taken specific actions to minimize waste and conserve or, where possible, revitalize, the local natural environment;
- respecting, sustaining and revitalizing local cultures and contribute to developing and conveying a unique sense of place;
- providing a positive, flourishing work environment in which employees are appropriately rewarded and recognized; enjoy a fair wage; and have the opportunity to grow and develop.
- Using and supporting local suppliers and suppliers who can demonstrate that they act responsibly;
- Returning an above average and sustainable financial return to their investors
- Being viewed as a positive force for good in their local community.
- Understand the essentials of “Conscious Marketing” recognising that all business is now social in nature and revolves around sustaining trusted relationships with all stakeholders by listening, dialogue, give and take, collaboration and co-creation. Conscious Hosts are adept at using digital technologies to attract, engage and inspire their guests.
- Conscious Hosts recognize and assume the responsibility for being the change agents in their communities. Through their travel-hospitality operations, they encourage connections and collaboration within the destination so that the destination becomes recognized as “a place that cares.”
- Can express a powerful, compelling unique “sense of place” such that the guest knows that their travels have, indeed, brought them to a place that, in its unique mix of people, culture, history, geography and economy and regardless of scale (be it a resort, a village, a town, region or nation) is distinctively different from the place they call “home. ” At the very least this experience of another place, at a unique point in time (i.e. during the trip) will refresh, cause the recipient to reflect on their own identity and, ideally, be touched or transformed in some way.
As a result of developing and practicing these capacities, the Conscious Host will be able to deliver above average rates of return to investors; generate the highest new benefit to the host community; and enjoy high rates of referral and a positive reputation in the market place
ConsciousTourism 