🧭 The Challenge: How Can We Sustain and Transform?
Such is tourism’s paradox: a global economic engine built on movement – yet that very movement skirts the edge of collapse. The weight of tourism – environmental, cultural, infrastructural – threatens to erode the very places and communities it depends on. That’s not sustainable. It demands transformation.
At the Center for Responsible Travel’s (CREST’s) 2025 World Tourism Forum, we flip the script:
How can we transform tourism – so we can sustain it? And how can we ensure its benefits protect the places we love and the people who live there?
This year’s theme, Sustainable Transformation, and tagline, “Where Knowledge Sparks Impact,” reflect what CREST stands for: turning insight, research, and local knowledge into real, measurable action.
💡 Why This Forum Is Different
CREST’s World Tourism Forum is not your typical tourism conference. There are no echo chambers or rubber-stamped panels. Stakeholders don’t work in silos – they co-create.
CREST’s annual World Tourism is a multi-disciplinary, multi-sectoral gathering of researchers, tourism practitioners, community leaders, creatives, academics, and businesses shaping the future of travel. We bring people together from across the globe – and across the street – to work through tourism’s most urgent challenges and boldest opportunities.
This year, in partnership with our amazing co-presenters CARE for the Cape & Islands, we’re delighted to bring our Forum to Cape Cod, Massachusetts – a region where the tension between economic dependence on tourism and the need for ecological and cultural preservation is both urgent and deeply visible.
🌍 Why Cape Cod?
Cape Cod is a living case study in sustainable transformation. Here, rising visitor demand intersects with marine conservation. Development pressures collide with climate reality. And centuries-old culture works to stay inclusive without losing its identity.
That’s why we’ve partnered with local nonprofit CARE for the Cape & Islands to host this Forum, grounding global action in local context. From climate action to cultural revitalization, this three-day experience connects the Cape to the world and, in turn, invites the world to learn from the Cape.
Set against the stunning backdrop of the Pelham House Resort, our Marquee Sponsor and values-aligned host venue, this year’s Forum will focus on a bold question:
In order for global destinations – with extra attention to the Cape & Islands – to meet the demands of growing visitor economies while preventing further harm from climate change, overtourism, and technological disruption, how must we sustainably transform?
The World Tourism Forum is a three-day intensive with CREST and 150+ friends from across tourism, development, conservation, and the private sector. Through immersive education sessions, intense workshops, world-class networking, an academic symposium, and hands-on experience, conference attendees will gain insights, find common ground, develop solutions, and get to know one of the world’s most unique cultural destinations.
World Tourism Forum – A Bold, Curated Experience
Highlights Include
* A Strong Regional Emphasis on resilience, innovation, and community-based tourism in the Cape & Islands.
* Workshops & Strategy Labs focused on action and sharing case studies for sustainable transformation, climate adaptation, and equitable governance.
* Peer-Reviewed Ideas Exchange & Academic Poster Session, led by CREST’s Academic Affiliates Network. Engage with the latest in though leadership.
* A Field-Based Stewardship Day, hosted by presenting partner CARE for the Cape & Islands and local nonprofit partners.
* Cultural Programming, networking events, and locally sourced meals that reflect the identity of the Cape & Islands.
A Diverse Audience
150–200 attendees from New England and around the world, including leaders from tourism, government, academia, and civil society. The 2024 Forum in Atlanta welcomed participants from 16 countries and 22 U.S. states.
Get Involved
The 2025 World Tourism Day Forum is an opportunity to contribute to bold, necessary change in how tourism is designed and experienced. We invite you to join us as a collaborator, sponsor, and thought partner.
—> Register for the Forum and Get your Tickets Now! First on the scene tickets available until July 7th. Get your discounted tickets now before prices increase!
—> View Sponsorship Opportunities
—> Respond to our Call for Speakers!
—> Sign up for our Ideas Exchange & Poster Session
Presented in Collaboration with CARE for the Cape & Islands
We’re proud to announce this year’s local presenting partner – CARE for the Cape & Islands – a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and protecting the natural, cultural, and historical treasures of Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket. As the Forum’s regional co-presenter, CARE ensures this event is not only hosted on the Cape – but created with the Cape.
From leading a hands-on Stewardship Experience Day to shaping local programming and partnerships, CARE brings invaluable insight, relationships, and commitment to place-based sustainability. Their involvement grounds the Forum in real community impact and ensures our global conversations stay rooted in the needs and voices of the region.
