MSBA-HTM Speaker Series - Adapt & Thrive: The Changing Shape of Travel: Climate Change, Equity and Tourism
Date: Friday, Oct. 20 from 5-6pm
Location: NVC, Falls Church, Room 329
This week we have three global tourism experts who will give a presentation on current challenges around tourism, climate and equity. Our speakers will present a brief overview of their perspective of key challenges the tourism and hospitality industry face over the next several decades. They will discuss climate change, human capital, equity in the travel space and how the industry will need to adapt to meet future environmental and social concerns.
Talk will include a presentation and time for questions/answers. All are welcome.
Speakers bios are below
Jeremy Sampson, CEO, The Travel Foundation and Chair, Future of Tourism Coalition
With extensive experience in more than 30 countries, Jeremy Sampson is a globally recognized leader, facilitator, speaker, and advocate in sustainable tourism. During his career, he has supported businesses and destinations around the world on issues related to impact management, marketing, product development, and sustainability, and was one of the assessors for the Early Adopters Program, which encapsulated the initial pilot testing of the GSTC Destination Criteria. Jeremy was a co-author and currently oversees the coordination of the Glasgow Declaration for Climate Action in Tourism, and was instrumental in setting up the Future of Tourism Coalition in 2020. He currently serves as the Chair of this global coalition representing six NGOs and nearly 600 signatories.
Prior to joining TTF as its CEO in 2019, he spent five years as VP of Communications and Partnerships at Sustainable Travel International and another two years as President of international tour operator, GreenSpot Travel. He also served as an Adjunct Professor at the George Washington University International Institute of Tourism Studies, teaching sustainable tourism communications and marketing, was elected to serve on the Executive Committee for the WCPA Tourism and Protected Areas Specialist Group (TAPAS), and currently serves on the GSTC’s Destination Working Group.
Immediately prior to joining TTF, Jeremy worked at the IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation, where he designed and managed large-scale European Union-funded transnational cooperation initiatives, such as DestiMED, and was instrumental in launching the MEET Network, a regionwide ecotourism network and destination management organization that promotes ecotourism in protected areas and gateway communities across the Mediterranean.
Kelly Galaski, Sustainable Tourism Specialist
As one of the Travel Foundation’s sustainable tourism specialists, Kelly Galaski works with destinations globally toward achieving climate-positive and equitable tourism goals via destination stewardship strategies and capacity building programs. She is currently leading the organization’s destination stewardship projects in Vail and Tahoe, among other North American destinations including destination development strategy advising with Travel Oregon and the Colorado Tourism Office.
Kelly has 25 years of experience across the hospitality and tourism sectors (both for-profit and non- profit) including tour operations and product development, sustainable and responsible tourism policy and international development. For over 11 years she worked with rural and Indigenous communities in more than 20 countries on community tourism experience and enterprise development and served as director of global programs at the Planeterra Foundation from 2017-2020.
Throughout that time Kelly also developed responsible travel policies and a supply chain assessment system to measure local impact and sustainability of international tour operator, G Adventures. Prior to joining the Travel Foundation, Kelly was a director at the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA), a regional DMO in British Columbia, Canada, renowned for its innovative destination stewardship efforts, leading its tourism research division. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Hospitality & Tourism Management from Toronto Metropolitan University and a Master in Environmental Studies from York University.
Marco Lucero
Co-founder of Cuidadores de Destinos, Marco is a system's thinker in the travel industry. Permaculture designer, has brought principles and ethics from permaculture to DMO's. Worked as Project Manager in Chilean Association of Travel Agents & Tour Operators, was the manager of the luxury accommodation Cicada Lodge in Nitmiluk National Park, an iconic territory for Australia, as the first territory ceded back to aboriginal people, recognizing the Jawoyn people as the traditional owners of the Katherine region. Lately has also co-founded Turismo Declara, bringing the global south to the climate emergency discussion.
Please contact Kristin Lamoureux with any questions at kristinl@vt.edu
Hope to see you there!
