From Extractive to Regenerative Tourism and Beyond
Regenerative has been a buzzword in the travel industry for a number of years — but does it still apply today?
The term was borrowed from regenerative agriculture, where it's about putting the regeneration of living ecosystems and communities at the heart of the equation. As with all definitions, there are several, and the term is difficult to capture in simple terms — definitions of sustainable tourism suffer from a similar challenge.
In agriculture, regenerative is grounded, literally, in the soil, water, waste and ecosystems — not just sustaining them, but actively improving their quality — alongside combating climate change. Regenerative tourism, by contrast, is about leaving a place better than you found it — going beyond sustainability measurements and metrics to deliver net positive benefits to destinations, ecosystems and communities. Well, in theory.
This transformation from extractive to sustainable and finally regenerative is a work in constant progress, and can default very quickly back to the beginning. We saw this after the pandemic, chasing growth at any cost. Now the industry is truly recovered and growing at a strong clip.
The latest Economic Impact Report from WTTC (May 2026) shines a light on the resilience of the sector facing war in the Middle East, a key aviation region, with value growth of 3.2% forecast in 2026, accounting for 9.9% of global GDP. That is an astonishing achievement — but not driven by regenerative tourism!
With wildfires rife this summer — Spain, France, Greece and North America hit particularly hard — there is a danger that recovery will not be regenerative, and instead will default to extractive, which could lead to a false start for long-term success.
The extractive → sustainable → regenerative framework
What's needed is a view of the extractive-sustainable-regenerative framework that some destinations are embracing. Let's unpack each one to understand the dynamics:
Extractive is the traditional mass-market model of tourism — a growth-at-any-cost mindset, built on marketing and sales, and ultimately the extraction of natural resources for the benefit of the few, not the destinations, communities or local people.
Sustainable is the halfway house, founded on the 17 Global Goals for Sustainable Development — focused on environmental, social and governance factors, ESG-minded, and not to be sniffed at in any way.
Regenerative is systems thinking — tourism not as an end in itself, but a vehicle of positive change within a wider ecosystem that encompasses nature, communities, agriculture, heritage, culture and more.
Destinations and travel businesses are all on this spectrum — and sometimes there are relapses.
RegNext: a destination in transition
RegNext in the Canary Islands is a great example of a destination in mid-transition from the symptoms of extractive tourism — anti-visitation sentiment and overtourism effects among them — transforming into a net positive, climate-friendly destination. This is achieved through partnership, funding restoration of the environment and community wellbeing via voluntary contributions rather than visitor taxes. Contributions can come from businesses, visitors and organisations searchable via the digital platform with early signatories including easyJet, Jet2 and TUI.
Partners include public, private, global, local and community — all sitting round the same table. Talking, listening, informing and acting for the greater good. Shifting power to a more balanced equilibrium, for creating greater equity amongst stakeholders.
The continuum
So, there is a constant continuum that everyone in travel faces — and it's easy to slide back into extractive behaviours in the face of adversity. Yet equally, it's possible to accelerate net benefits with an open, collaborative mindset and a regenerative framework so that tourism finally plays its part in a broader system.
Without a beyond-tourism approach, equity will only ever be half-baked — stakeholder engagement diluted, and the cost-benefit never truly shared with local communities.