Step 3: Engage
Building engagement
Engagement involves building relationships, fostering collaboration, and joining forces to create a shared vision for a regenerative future.
Effective engagement ensures that all voices are heard and are actively involved in shaping the destination’s path.
Davis quote
Engagement with members, visitors and suppliers is an integral part of our strategy at VisitWest. It allows us to understand the challenges and needs of the sector, whilst enabling us to provide the relevant tools and advice required to support the destination’s overall goals for a sustainable and resilient economy.
Engaging employees
The LVEPs’ and DMOs’ internal teams are an important element of the successful development and implementation of more regenerative tourism practices.
Engaging a wide range of team members is important in the initial phase, to get input and ideas, as well as building on existing skills and expertise. On an ongoing basis, engagement will helpfully embed new practices and continue to maximise positive impact internally and externally.
Strategies:
- Build your ‘green’ team: Assemble a diverse team of voluntary members from across different functions and levels within your LVEP or DDP.
- Cultural shift: Foster a cultural transformation within the organisation where sustainability and regeneration become core values.
- Ownership and innovation: Encourage employees to take ownership of and pride in their contributions.
Actions:
- Workshops and training: Conduct regular workshops and training sessions to deepen employees’ understanding of regenerative practices and clarify their role in advancing them. GSTC, GDS-Academy and the Travel Foundation provide online training in sustainable destination management.
- Recognition programmes: Develop award programmes to acknowledge and reward employees for their meaningful contributions to the organisation’s sustainability and regeneration initiatives, reinforcing the value placed on individual and collective efforts.
Building partnerships
Wider stakeholders are an important element of the successful development and implementation of more regenerative tourism practices.
- Working groups: Encourage participation from diverse stakeholders through groups, roundtables, or partnerships, particularly with those organisations identified as high priority during the assessment phase. Make sure there is a diverse representation of organisations, such as businesses, non-profits, educational institutions, community groups and government agencies.
- Join existing networks: From the mapping exercise, prioritise and join local networks focused on regeneration and sustainability. It is important that tourism is at the ‘table’ and part of the conversation about the sustainability transition, inclusion, and social impact in your area.
- Empowerment through involvement: Involve stakeholders in decision making to increase ownership and commitment.
- Public-Private Partnerships: Explore opportunities for public-private partnerships that can leverage resources, expertise, and networks from both sectors.
Educating and empowering
Capacity building is essential. Offer training and resources on sustainable practices, funding opportunities and best practices. Support champions within the community to inspire and educate others. Suggestions include:
- Capacity building: Offer workshops on sustainable practices and funding opportunities such as circularity, net-zero pathways, accessibility, AI innovation.
- Support champions: Identify and support community influencers to inspire and educate.
- Leverage local knowledge: Engage local experts for valuable insights.
Thornley quote
The regular workshops we attended as part of the English Core Cities project allowed us to share experiences, challenges and identify opportunities. Its immensely valuable when you start to feel that you are not on your own.
Using technology to improve engagement
Using advanced technology can significantly enhance destination engagement with stakeholders and the collection of diverse inputs. Digital collaboration platforms facilitate seamless communication, collaboration and innovation among tourism managers, local businesses, government bodies, and community members, ensuring everyone stays aligned, informed, and can propose their ideas and feedback.
For the more advanced, local engagement platforms such as Next Door enable dynamic interaction through surveys, polls, idea submissions, and open discussions, allowing community members to contribute
Business support
VisitEngland has a range of resources to help businesses and other interested parties learn more about sustainability and regenerative tourism. The VisitEngland Business Advice Hub is the first stop for tools, guides and information. Keep checking back as new resources will steadily be added. VisitBritain also offers a suite of tools on the Business Events Learning and Development Hub to support development and implementation of sustainable events and help ensure business events have a lasting legacy.
The VisitEngland Regenerative Tourism Guide is a valuable resource for LVEPs to use when working with local businesses. Wherever businesses are in their sustainability journey, The Regenerative Tourism Guide aims to give businesses the practical tips, and the reassurance and confidence, to move forward.
Case Study: Act for Impact Tourism Working Group (Kent)
Act for Impact Tourism Working Group
The Kent Sustainable Tourism Action Plan, launched in May 2023, aims to unite businesses, communities, and visitors to positively impact society, climate, and nature. It outlines 14 action areas, with progress tracked through a comprehensive monitoring programme using seven data sources and 16 impact indicators.
Stakeholder engagement is central to its development, recognising the need for collective action on systemic issues and the importance of supporting existing efforts. The Act for Impact Tourism Working Group, is comprised of eight strategic partners from Kent’s tourism industry, public sector, transport, and nature conservation sectors, drives the plan forward. These organisations meet quarterly to propose innovative projects, such as a nature payback scheme pilot, and identify funding opportunities.
The group’s efforts include consumer communications, embedding sustainability content across channels, promoting car-free travel, developing walkable destinations, and organising events like the Big Free Bus Weekend. Partnerships with organisations like Good Journey and the Impact Hero programme amplify sustainability efforts, sharing resources and case studies to inspire businesses. Additionally, the Group supports local events such as the Taste of Kent Awards and offers guidance through sustainable tourism webinars.
Strategic collaboration enables joint funding bids, informs emerging strategies, and addresses challenges collectively. Partners contribute to monitoring frameworks and surveys, actively shaping initiatives like the Making Space for Nature strategy and efforts to become a Sustainable Food Place.
