The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) is calling on governments, destinations and businesses to adopt proactive destination stewardship strategies as global travel continues to expand, ensuring tourism growth delivers lasting benefits for residents, visitors and local economies.

The council has published a policy brief titled “Destination Stewardship: Creating Value for All”, outlining seven principles designed to help destinations manage tourism growth sustainably, protect local character and ensure economic benefits are shared more widely.

WTTC said tourism should move beyond focusing solely on visitor numbers and instead measure success through resident satisfaction, long-term resilience and the value created for communities. The organisation said stronger planning, collaboration with residents and data-driven decision-making are essential to building tourism models that support local wellbeing while unlocking economic opportunities.

Travel & Tourism remains one of the world’s largest economic sectors, supporting one in every 10 jobs globally, contributing around 10% of global GDP and expected to generate one in every three new jobs over the coming decade. In 2025, the sector contributed $11.6 trillion to the global economy and supported 366 million jobs worldwide.

The WTTC framework highlights seven key principles for destination stewardship:

1. Plan together, grow together
2. Make resident satisfaction the measure of success
3. Plan ahead
4. Understand the issue
5. More places, more seasons, more value
6. Turn tourism into shared prosperity
7. Be ready to respond

The council said successful destinations are those that prepare for growth in advance, use reliable data, diversify tourism across locations and seasons, reinvest tourism revenues into communities and address challenges before they become critical.

WTTC President and CEO Gloria Guevara said: " When destinations are managed well, Travel & Tourism creates jobs, strengthens communities, protects cultural and natural heritage, and delivers lasting prosperity. Destination stewardship succeeds when governments, local communities and the private sector work together with a shared vision for long-term success. Our seven principles provide a practical framework that destinations can adapt to their own needs, helping ensure tourism continues to deliver benefits for everyone."

The policy brief includes examples from destinations around the world that have adopted more sustainable tourism approaches. Madrid has focused on reducing seasonal concentration, expanding tourism beyond traditional areas and strengthening public-private cooperation to create a value-focused tourism model.

Colorado demonstrates the role of collaborative governance, resident engagement and long-term planning in shaping tourism policies, while Bogotá highlights how early investment in data and planning can improve destination management and distribute benefits more effectively.

Other examples include Dubrovnik, where improved cruise management has helped reduce pressure on the city; New York City, which has expanded regional tourism experiences to spread economic benefits; and the Balearic Islands, where transparent reinvestment of tourism revenues has helped strengthen community support.

The report also features initiatives from destinations including Copenhagen, Japan, Ljubljana and South Korea, showing how destination stewardship principles can be adapted to different tourism markets and challenges.

Alongside its long-term recommendations, WTTC outlined immediate actions destinations can take, including monitoring resident sentiment, identifying tourism pressure points through improved data collection, promoting lesser-known destinations, encouraging responsible visitor behaviour and improving communication about tourism’s benefits.

The council said coordinated response teams and stronger cooperation between governments, communities and businesses will be increasingly important as destinations manage rising visitor demand.

WTTC said destination stewardship should become central to tourism policy and planning, enabling the sector to continue driving economic growth while improving quality of life for residents, preserving cultural and natural assets and creating better experiences for travellers. -TradeArabia News Service