Let’s talk about making the world a better place.
But first - the non fun stuff to situate ourselves. As the world is still actively battling a deadly virus, the travel and hospitality industry continues to measure, project and reform its future. The pandemic has brought the travel industry to a wailing cancelation. An industry that lost over 50 million jobs globally.
The world continues to rapidly change and we continue to face unprecedented times. Certain changes we’ve made in our quarantine lifestyles might be a new way of life forever.
How the travel and hospitality industry operated in its fruitful era in Iceland - must change. It’s an obsolete and ineffective way of growth. There are certain business behaviors within the travel industry that now feel like smoking a cigarette inside the car without a seatbelt and a kid in the passenger seat. Just wrong.
Let that be my segue into getting excited about infusing our systems with socially impactful practices - boosting social wealth and sustainable growth. “Social impact is the effect on people and communities that happens as a result of an action or inaction, an activity, project, programme or policy.”
Basically everything that the former president of the United States didn’t support - we’re going to support on a larger scale then we’ve ever done before. Today’s traveler is savvy and uncomfortably aware of the environmental toll bred by careless and spontaneous jetting. There’s been a reset.
I hope you’re still with me here, because I’m about to make sense of all this. Sort of.
Last week I was on the Clubhouse app chatting with people in a Mindful Marketing space which I enjoyed for the most part. A “room full” of entrepreneurs that care about the planet and its people. I was there to ask a specific question and I got a specific answer.
Then I lingered for a while until a woman began to play an instrument and sing a song she wrote during her menstrual cycle - she proudly shared. That’s when I left silently.
My question went something like this: as a brand consultant and copywriter working with luxury hospitality and lifestyle clients how deeply can I dive into their business model? As in, where’s the line between a brand voice and what goes on behind the scene? And where are my boundaries?
The answer I got from a leader in the sustainable business growth space was: it’s your job to educate your clients, partners, friends and those around you. People are willing to pay 40% more for sustainable brands and services they trust. They are demanding sustainable products and socially impactful practices.
Agreed. I agreed with his answer.
This is an opportunity for luxury hospitality and other travel brands to deepen their relationships with local businesses. To enhance sustainability all the way through and offer purposeful experiences. Today’s traveler is looking to give back and build impactful memories. This is a great opportunity to integrate philanthropic experiences into travel and hospitality offerings.
This is the moment to attach ethics and progressive green offerings to the travel industry in Iceland. To invite travelers to openly support a local farmer, women’s shelter or the Melting Glaciers project to only name a few. This is a win-win opportunity as today’s travelers look to support the surrounding communities of their destination and for Iceland to up their conscious growth, upgrade soulful experiences, and solely act with awareness for today’s future.
That’s it for now, but do know that I’m coming back with more.
Text: Anna Rosa Parker
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