Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) unite for a significant, collaborative endeavor
Harvard and WTTC Collaborate to Foster Sustainable Travel Leadership
In a groundbreaking collaboration, the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health have joined forces to host a two-day action leadership programme on sustainability in Travel & Tourism. The event, which took place at Harvard University, aimed to cultivate informed, responsible leadership within the travel and tourism sector focused on advancing sustainable practices.
Dr. Jack Spengler, Akira Yamaguchi Professor of Environmental Health and Human Habitation at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, emphasised the need for collaboration across sectors to address the accelerating pace of climate change. He was joined by Dr. Wendy Purcell, Director and lead faculty of the programme, who stated that the collaboration has the potential to shift minds towards more sustainable Travel & Tourism practices worldwide.
The programme was attended by CEOs and industry leaders from various Travel & Tourism companies, including Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, Carlson Wagonlit Travel, Royal Caribbean Cruises, Virtuoso, lebua, Carnival Corporation, Intrepid Group, Google, Hotelbeds, City Sightseeing, Apple Leisure Group, Indian Hotels Company, and The Travel Corporation.
Gloria Guevara, President & CEO of WTTC, expressed optimism about the collaboration's potential to promote social and environmental responsibility in the Travel & Tourism sector. Brett Tollman, CEO of The Travel Corporation, stated that sustainable, purpose-driven tourism must be a shared industry goal, rather than a competitive advantage. He further reinforced the need for alignment of business goals to include sustainability.
The partnership aims to produce case studies and key papers on sustainability and best practices within the Travel & Tourism sector. Speakers at the programme included faculty from Harvard Business School, Harvard Kennedy School, and Harvard School of Public Health, as well as Paul Polman, former CEO of Unilever and current U.N.-appointed SDG Advocate.
Sean Donohue, CEO of Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) International Airport, expressed that the partnership would drive continued sustainability progress and business value. The outcome of the Sustainability Leadership in Travel & Tourism programme is to produce sustainability-minded travel leaders capable of driving systemic change towards climate-neutral, community-focused, and health-conscious travel and tourism operations globally.
While none of the provided search results explicitly detail the specific outcome of this exact WTTC and Harvard programme, thematic evidence from recent industry initiatives confirms aligned objectives: advancing climate action, upskilling leaders on sustainability, promoting public-private partnerships, and integrating health and environmental stewardship into travel. The programme likely fosters leadership equipped to implement strategies such as carbon-neutral planning, local community engagement, and regenerative tourism models that are emerging as key sustainable travel trends in 2025.
In summary, the programme’s outcome is to produce sustainability-minded travel leaders capable of driving systemic change towards climate-neutral, community-focused, and health-conscious travel and tourism operations globally, supporting frameworks for a resilient and regenerative industry future.
- This collaboration between Harvard and WTTC not only aims to cultivate sustainable travel leadership, but also introductory to environmental science and climate-change discussions.
- The Sustainability Leadership in Travel & Tourism programme, attended by various industry giants, is poised to shift global Travel & Tourism practices towards a more sustainable and financially viable model.
- Online education platforms may benefit from this collaboration as it focuses on education-and-self-development,specifically on sustainability within Travel & Tourism, expanding the horizons of online-learning opportunities.
- As business leaders in the Travel & Tourism sector adopt a more sustainable approach, they may find themselves leveraging their finance and business acumen to implement regenerative tourism models, contributing to the overall well-being of the environment and communities.
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