In the bustling corridors of Guangzhou’s sprawling exhibition halls, amid a sea of destination banners and glossy travel brochures, something refreshingly profound stirred the pot at the Guangzhou International Travel Fair (GITF) 2025. The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), never one to shy away from a challenge, took to the stage not to trumpet record visitor numbers or hotel pipelines, but to beat the drum for something far more enduring: Meaningful Tourism.
While most in the travel trade were still raising a cheer over rebounding figures and reopened borders, PATA Chair Peter Semone offered a sobering—and inspiring—reminder. In keynote speeches and forums throughout the event, Semone urged the global tourism community to stop chasing numbers like a dog chasing its tail, and instead to consider something deeper: purpose.
“Tourism must evolve from a numbers game to a values-driven endeavour,” Semone said, with the sort of calm urgency one might expect from a man who’s seen too many industry reports and too few cultural festivals. “We must redefine success—not merely by arrivals and receipts, but by how well we serve our communities, protect heritage, and enrich lives.”
And just like that, the spotlight shifted from profit margins to people.
Rethinking Travel: From Bucket Lists to Benevolence
At the heart of PATA’s message was a strong call to embrace the framework of Meaningful Tourism. This model doesn’t just aim to tick off sustainable travel boxes; instead, it weaves community wellbeing, cultural preservation, visitor enrichment, and environmental care into the DNA of travel experiences.
It’s about time. After all, isn’t travel supposed to change us—and the places we visit—for the better?
Enter Professor Dr Wolfgang Georg Arlt, Executive Director of the Meaningful Tourism Centre and a man who knows the difference between a carbon offset and a cultural insult. At the Meaningful Tourism Forum on 17 May, Arlt laid out the foundational principles of this evolving concept, emphasising that Chinese outbound travellers—some of the most significant in global numbers—are increasingly seeking authenticity, connection, and relevance, not just luxury lobbies and Instagrammable brunches.
The message was clear: you can’t build a resilient industry on shallow selfies and throwaway experiences.
L/R: Catherine Germier-Hamel, CEO, Millennium Destinations; Prof. Dr Wolfgang Georg Arlt, Executive Director, Meaningful Tourism Centre; Peter Semone, Chair, PATA; and Anita Chan, CEO, Compass Edge, and Chief Executive Officer, Asia Pacific, Elegant Hotel Collection, during the Meaningful Tourism Forum.
From Rhetoric to Roundtables
Thankfully, the forum didn’t stop at fine words. In a rare show of cross-sector collaboration, the event featured a roundtable brimming with experts, including policymakers, private sector players, cultural custodians, and academic minds. Together, they tackled the complex task of integrating “meaningfulness” into real-world tourism operations. From destination management and marketing to product design and training, it was a crash course in how to make tourism not just better, but truly worthwhile.
The discussions pulsed with urgency, echoing a growing sentiment across the industry: that a sustainable recovery means nothing if it lacks soul. That cultural relevance, social equity, and ecological guardianship must be more than industry buzzwords—they must be guiding stars.
A Global Push with Grassroots Impact
This isn’t just idealistic drivel from a stage in China. Earlier this year, PATA and the Meaningful Tourism Centre inked a formal Memorandum of Understanding to share knowledge, co-create training programs, and develop robust measurement tools for more inclusive and sustainable tourism outcomes. It’s part of a broader push to ensure that, as Asia Pacific tourism rises from the ashes of the pandemic, it doesn’t forget who it’s growing for.
The 2025 edition of GITF proved to be more than just another gathering of brochures and business cards. It became a platform—a pulpit, even—for reimagining what travel could and should look like in a post-pandemic era. And in true Peter Semone style, it wasn’t delivered with bells and whistles, but with thoughtful urgency, moral clarity, and the kind of sincerity that doesn’t often grace an expo floor.
A Word to the Wise—and the Rest of Us
For tourism leaders, marketers, and policymakers still obsessed with counting heads and room nights, PATA’s message might seem a bit inconvenient. But for those with an ear for the long game and a heart for more meaningful travel, it’s nothing short of a clarion call.
And here’s the kicker: when we aim for values, we often get the numbers anyway. Travellers want more than just movement. They want meaning. And destinations that provide it—authentically, respectfully, and thoughtfully—will win not just tourists, but true fans.
As PATA continues to champion a better way forward, one thing’s abundantly clear: tourism may finally be finding its soul.
By Kanda Limw
