MarketHub Americas 2025: Céline Cousteau advocates reconnection with nature as a path to human and social transformation

In a captivating talk at MarketHub Americas 2025, documentary filmmaker and environmental activist Céline Cousteau called on tourism and hospitality leaders to recalibrate the human compass: “We are talking about a reconnection – not just with nature, but with ourselves. The horizon that really matters is the inner one,” she said, before a moved and attentive audience.

The conference highlighted Cousteau for her trajectory among indigenous communities, environmental projects and narratives that transcend geographic and emotional borders. On stage, she did not just speak — she provoked deep reflection on the role of tourism in collective awakening.

“What people want is to feel alive”

Cousteau challenged the logic of mass tourism and the fast pace of society. “Why does anyone travel today? To post photos? Or to disconnect from the digital flood and reconnect with what really matters?” she asked. According to her, new travel trends — such as ‘slow travel’, well-being and the desire for authenticity — point to an internal search for meaning.

“I don’t think people are looking for the meaning of life. They want to feel truly alive,” she declared, echoing the influence of mythologist Joseph Campbell, author of The Power of Myth, whose work even inspired the characters of Star Wars.

Nature as an antidote to modern chaos

Based on studies and personal experiences, Cousteau showed how contact with nature impacts mental health, cognition and empathy — especially in children and professionals under pressure. “We put children with ADHD in closed rooms, then complain that they can’t sit still. But what they need is nature. The same goes for executives: just one plant in the office changes the environment.” She cited the concept of “nature deficit disorder” from the book Last Child in the Woods as an urgent warning: “To deprive our children of nature is to deprive them of their own inner nature.” Tourism as a tool for transformation For Cousteau, tourism is not a product: it is a platform for impact. “When you take someone to have a meal with a local family, or visit a community project, you are giving something beyond the experience – you are offering belonging.” She reinforced that this feeling of belonging is essential in a society that overstimulates individualism. “People want to be seen, heard, to feel that they matter. This goes for guests, employees and local communities. Belonging is healing.” “We connect people to places — but, above all, to themselves”

In her closing speech, Céline Cousteau reminded us that true power lies in small decisions and connections. “There is no hero or villain. There is perspective. And, like the domino effect, each of our actions touches many others. Connecting horizons is connecting humans.”

In a calm voice, she concluded with an invitation to sensitive and courageous action: “The next revolution will not be technological. It will be human. It will be sensitive. And perhaps it will start with something as simple as turning off your cell phone and looking at the horizon.”

Source: Mary de Aquino