2026 North American Meaningful Travel Summit

April 14-16, 2026 | Asheville, North Carolina

Tourism Cares is thrilled to partner with Explore Asheville to host its 2026 North American Meaningful Travel Summit, scheduled for April 14-16, 2026, in Asheville, North Carolina.

Asheville was selected as the 2026 host due to the area’s commitment to prioritizing environmental responsibility and social impact, while using tourism as a catalyst to ensure long-term recovery after the region was impacted by Hurricane Helene in 2024. The North American Meaningful Travel Summit in Asheville will provide:

  • Direct connections with local sustainable organizations, non-profits, and social enterprises

  • Hands-on education sessions around sustainability, meaningful travel, and destination stewardship

  • Networking opportunities with other travel and tourism professionals

Attendance & Sponsorship

If you are interested in attending or sponsoring this event, please fill out the following form, and a Tourism Cares team member will follow up with you directly.

Please contact Carrie Hodgen, Director of Community Development, at carrie.hodgen@tourismcares.org for more information about sponsorship.

Meaningful Travel Summit Program Goals

  • Provide connections to vetted non-profits and social enterprises for new product development

  • Engage in education sessions around universal topics in sustainability and meaningful travel

  • Create cross-sector networking opportunities with other travel and tourism professionals

  • Offer actionable best practices in destination stewardship and community tourism

  • Inspire collective action through the commitments made by Summit attendees. Learn more here.

This program is helping to further the following Sustainable Development Goals:

Thank You to Our Hosts & Sponsors:

SPOTLIGHT: THE PEOPLE + PLACES OF TOURISM CARES

Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre | Tourism Cares Grantee

Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre was provided support on behalf of Globus Family of Brands to support ongoing mentorship, build capacity and foster resiliency for Indigenous community members through meaningful employment. The grant funds will also be used to develop a new guided tour called ANCIENT MEDICINES, enriching and connecting the cultural identity of the Indigenous Youth Ambassadors and Cultural Ambassadors the Centre works with.