From the Magazine
4 Stories
- Regenerative, Travel
"Regenerative" is tourism's word of the moment, dropped on conference panels and marketing decks alike, yet the people who shaped it still disagree on what it demands. Alessandro Inversini, Willy Legrand, Anna Pollock, Bill Reed and others weigh in. Meanwhile, four African lodges are answering the question in practice: a Ugandan tea estate reforested over sixteen years, Namibian farmland returned to habitat, a Kenyan lodge that exists to fund a wildlife corridor, and a 50-year rewilding pledge in South Africa's Soutpansberg.
Laetitia Hörnler
Editor-in-Chief · Veriva Magazine
- Cultural, Travel
A cheap souvenir comb in Cordoba becomes the starting point for a wider question: does tourism sustain the crafts it profits from, or hollow them out? Batten travels from Andalusia to Portugal's Serra da Estrela, visiting hotels that have gone beyond stocking local pottery and textiles to actively keeping the skills behind them alive buying a failing weaving mill, arranging maker-led tours, building new markets for centuries-old techniques. Along the way, she talks to hoteliers, artisans and academics about what turns a craft from a marketing prop into a genuine point of connection. As she puts it, "Storytelling is what moves culture from a commodity to an experience."
Rhiannon Batten
- Community, Regenerative
Beyond employment numbers: What genuine community benefit actually looks like in East African lodges
From Volcanoes Safaris' Batwa village in Uganda, built for a community once evicted to make way for gorilla conservation to Sarara in Kenya, where elephant numbers have rebounded from around 400 to roughly 6,000 alongside a programme putting income directly into Samburu women's hands, real impact isn't found in a quarterly report. It's in whether communities have genuine agency, and whether the benefit outlasts the funding cycle.
"You need communities as much as they need you." Praveen Moman, founder of Volcanoes Safaris
Meera Dattani
- Regenerative, Travel
"You can't improve what you can't measure."
As the EU's EmpCo Directive forces travel brands to back up green claims with real evidence, Tourism Innovation Summit director Silvia Avilés says the industry is entering a new phase one where ambition alone no longer cuts it.
"We're seeing companies move away from broad claims such as 'green,' 'eco-friendly' or 'carbon neutral,' and towards more specific statements that can be supported with clear evidence," she explains.
Her message for platforms built on independent verification is clear: "Independent verification is becoming essential infrastructure for tourism, rather than a niche add-on."
Laetitia Hörnler
Editor-in-Chief · Veriva Magazine
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The Veriva Compass is an independent assessment designed to identify and elevate regenerative hospitality leaders. It helps travelers and industry professionals discover places creating measurable environmental and social impact.
