overtourism
Photo: Nejc Pernek

LESS IS MORE

As we try to escape the scorching summer heat, many colleagues have been pondering if the meetings industry has a definite answer to over-tourism. More and more Slovenian media outlets have been riffing on whether we have reached the limits of our capabilities – in Ljubljana, Piran and Bled.

I agree with the writer Goran Vojnović, who remarked that, although it sounds ludicrous, we must seriously consider halting the economic growth of the tourism industry if it continues destroying our cities. If that entails implementing visas for entries and long waiting lines for popular sites and destinations, so be it. I remain an ardent believer that it is possible to calculate how many visitors a city can handle before mass tourism renders it unrecognisable.

Can the meetings industry change anything or even transform the current processes of touristification? Or is it too late, and we will all be affected by the “Jeff Bezos wedding” effect Venice is experiencing?

I have previously delved into the nonsense of counting tourism arrivals. I outlined the importance of adopting the less-is-more approach in tourism. How can the meetings industry embody this approach? Can it change anything or even transform the current processes of touristification? Or is it too late, and we will all be affected by the “Jeff Bezos wedding” effect Venice is experiencing?

I eagerly await what will happen in the Serenissima this week. The wedding of the tech mogul exemplifies that, besides climate disasters, armed conflicts and other global crises, overtourism also influences event organising. Nothing will ever be the same. If we are unable to share the positive, regenerative effects of events (or weddings, for that matter), the local population will say NO! What will Venice gain from the spectacular wedding of Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez? Nothing more than an astronomical carbon footprint generated by “spectacular” guests.

overtourism
Photo: Canva, Pixabay

The golden fleece of "365 Stories" is infrastructure investments

The second trending topic is tourism 365/7. Almost no article discussing the idea fails to mention the meetings industry. I will share a personal experience: if you organise an event in Dubrovnik, the Pearl of the Adriatic, at the end of March, the probability of things going sideways is dangerously high. In other words, this glorious city does not work between November and April. If you don’t believe me, read what might happen to your event here. Besides hotel flops, you will be greeted by closed doors of local restaurants and bars that promise an unforgettable experience in the digital realm. Once the first clouds descend on the city in autumn, tourism exists through the first port.

What can the meetings industry do to prevent this? Quite a lot or nothing at all. If there is no innate understanding of the quality and added value of events, not even a hundred strategies will help. As a best practice case, consider Rovinj, which transformed from a provincial tourist destination into a central hub of the regional meetings industry. A decade ago, only one hotel was open during the winter. Today, the hotel and gastronomy offering is on a Michelin level. Yet, without investments in its infrastructure, all this would remain a fairytale.

Most world-renowned consultants still plan the capacities for events, as if we were in the 70s in Las Vegas. They calculate investments according to outdated, bizarre matrices: 150 rooms translates to a conference hall for 200 attendees, complemented by a catering office and functionalist design that should remain consigned to the past.

Events are no longer just a logistical challenge. They leave a cultural, sustainable and societal footprint. Many are also regenerative projects that improve the lives of locals.

In the meantime, the world was turned upside down. Gen Alpha does not understand these obsolete concepts. Worse still, they reject such ideas. They argue that they can buy chairs and tables for events in the nearest IKEA store, and they will look just as dull as the average hotel conference hall. Everything seems generic and forgettable.

Such an approach is the exact opposite of the 365/7 concept. Clients today expect something vastly different: experience, substance, local character, comfort without plush elegance and, above all, content relevance. They also want regenerative events that leave a destination in a better state than before.

overtourism
Photo: Cannes Lions

If you are currently developing a new strategy and are betting on “Tourism 365”, keep in mind why everyone is betting on the meetings industry:

1. Events take place year-round. They have the power to revive hotels, restaurants and local communities in months when traditional tourism comes to a standstill – in November, March and even January.
2. Event attendees spend more and expect more. They visit destinations purposefully, stay longer, hope for quality experiences and leave more added value than the average tourist.
3. Events bring content, not just buy postcards. They connect know-how, ideas, local stories, innovation and creativity. Events are the best marketing ad for a destination – authentic, credible and long-term.
4. Events drive smart investments. They help accelerate the growth of multipurpose halls and improve connectivity, accessibility, and local partnerships. Such infrastructure benefits whole communities, not just event organisers.
5. Events build relationships, not just drive one-time visits. Event attendees often return as visitors, ambassadors, investors or hosts of future events. Every event is a long-term opportunity.
6. Events spread business to the off-season. Instead of tourists who often come to the same destination in the same season, events can be held in lesser-known places in the off-season.
7. Events reshape destinations. Events can change tourist destinations from seasonal resorts to year-round creativity hubs. They change them from postcard places to authentic, soulful destinations.

If you need tangible proof that events fuel “Tourism 365”, look no further than Cannes. At first glance, Cannes does not seem a spectacular destination. It is neither the grandest nor the largest. It does not boast lavish venues. Yet, it is a best practice case of how strategic events can foster year-round tourism.

The Cannes Film Festival, the MIPIM Congress, the Cannes Lions, and a slew of other trade shows and events create a constant flow of visitors, attracting investments, innovation and global attention that is not limited to one season. The city does not live on throngs of tourists but on the constant presence of unique events. The key to their success lies in consistency, positioning and making every event a part of the city’s identity.

Cannes is proof that an event is not a unique spectacle but can turn into an ecosystem that binds local and global, content and economy, season and regeneration.

If you are seriously considering an innovative, sustainable and inclusive tourism industry, you must put the events industry at the centre of the strategy. It is not a complementary service but a catalyst for development.

Alas, many 365/7 tourism strategies fail to understand this, let alone the radical thought of the regenerative paradigm within the meetings industry:

“An event should leave a destination in a better state than before.”

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