Food, Sustainability and Community-Based Tourism at the 2025 Global Meaningful Travel Summit

From September 7th to 13th, Thailand hosted the 2025 Global Meaningful Travel Summit, organized by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) in partnership with the US-based Tourism Cares. The summit brought together leaders, experts, and communities to discuss sustainability, culture, and inclusion, with activities taking place in Krabi and Bangkok.

Gastronomy as identity and community impact

Moderated by Quayla Allen-Comella, an inclusion expert recognized by the LA Times, the panel “Food: Sustainability, Culture and Inclusion” brought together chefs, producers and social entrepreneurs.

Krittaya (Pang) Sirimongkolsatian of Poomjai Garden highlighted Thai cuisine as a reflection of tradition and health: "If we look at traditional menus, they were composed of 100% natural ingredients. Today, even with some processing, the essence remains healthy." At Poomjai Garden, workshops and artistic performances connected visitors to community life, strengthening the local economy and culture.

Alisara Sivayathorn of Sivatel Bangkok Hotel and Café Jardin demonstrated how luxury can be sustainable: "Every family has its own version of authenticity. This open-minded approach strengthens communities, generates income, and continues traditions." Her award-winning program "From the Kitchen to the Chicken and Beyond" achieved zero landfill waste by repurposing food scraps.

Chutima Limpasurat, marketing director at The Sukhothai Bangkok, emphasized that sustainability added value to luxury: "Thai cuisine is, by its very essence, medicinal. Showing this to guests is offering luxury with meaning."

Regenerative community tourism

Wanvipa Phanumat, from Local Alike, demonstrated how tourism could be a development tool in more than 200 communities: “We don't just use tourism as an economic activity, but as a tool for sustainable development in partnership with communities.”

Alyssa Sands of EF Ultimate Break introduced young travelers as agents of impact: “Every action creates an impact, and we have a responsibility to contribute positively to people, communities, and the planet.” EF launched 13 new itineraries in Thailand incorporating sustainable practices and direct connection with local communities.

Kotchaporn (Molly) Tolahbut and Suwaree (Nan) Chuensom, operations managers and guides, reinforced the importance of local partnerships to integrate sustainability and hospitality into large travel groups.

Conservation and environmental education

Vijo Varghese of OurLand Reserve & Education Center highlighted the private conservation effort, focusing on people and Asian elephants. The reserve connected fragmented habitats and promoted environmental education, protecting 11 acres—about 12% of the planned ecological corridor—and receiving UN recognition in 2024.

Varghese explained the 3P model:

Profit: look at the numbers, without forgetting social and environmental impact.
People: include schools and neighboring communities in the benefits.
Planet: always consider environmental impact in decisions.
Impact investing

Sarah Payne of the UnTours Foundation demonstrated how flexible financing and affordable loans strengthened small, community-based tourism businesses. The foundation, which owns the world's first B Corporation, had previously supported 400 businesses with $11 million, including more than 50 sustainable tourism companies.

"Our founder believed in giving a hand-up, not a subsidy. This creates a partnership of equals and a multiplier effect: one loan repaid finances another business," Payne said.

The foundation also worked with corporate and institutional partners such as Agoda, WWF Singapore, and Tourism Cares, including investments in Local Alike. Payne concluded: "If we want truly sustainable tourism, we need to ensure that capital reaches the grassroots—the small businesses that are the backbone of the industry."

Making community-based tourism the standard

John Sutherland, Director of Community Impact at Tourism Cares, led a workshop with all Summit attendees on how to make community-based tourism the norm by 2028. He emphasized that transformation starts with storytelling: “We need to make community-based tourism aspirational and mainstream, highlighting transformative experiences and positive impact.”

Sutherland reinforced the importance of training and collaboration, with incubators, mentoring, and technical support, as well as the need for DMOs, operators, NGOs, and media to align to scale the model.

Measurement and transparency were also key: creating common frameworks to track benefits and make results visible was essential to building trust and consolidating community-based tourism as a sustainable model.

Inspiring closing

Greg Takehara, CEO of Tourism Cares, thanked the teams, partners, and local communities: "We came to Thailand to witness some of the best examples of community-based and sustainable tourism in the world. None of this would be possible without our local partners and sponsors."

He emphasized the collective effort: "I'm the weakest link in the team, and I say that with pride. That's the true strength of Tourism Cares."

Takehara concluded by reflecting on the summit as an aspirational peak: “We’ve made real progress, but the challenge is to keep climbing. If we weren’t here, would we be missed? Our legacy will be that the entire industry embraces social and environmental responsibility to the point where Tourism Cares is no longer necessary.”

Report and photo: Mary de Aquino.