MEANINGFUL TRAVEL SUMMIT
Tourism Cares Meaningful Travel Summits
Advancing the industry through education, networking and action in sustainability and destination stewardship
The Meaningful Travel Summit is Tourism Cares’ legacy program, connecting industry professionals with local changemakers across the globe. By coming together in-destination, we actualize the power of travel. The goal of the Meaningful Travel Summit is to learn from one another, infuse more sustainability in our businesses from the knowledge gained at the event, and immerse ourselves within host communities.
Program Overview
The Summits are all about education on global topics impacting us all - climate change, sustainability, equity and inclusion - giving attendees the tools and resources to take what they’ve learned and apply it to their business. At the conclusion of the program, we solicit calls to action and work with attendees to realize their commitments long-term. Meaningful Travel Summits are hands-on, incorporating volunteer projects organized with local partners with locals’ needs in mind.
The Summit provides:
Connections to vetted non-profits and social enterprises for new product development
Education sessions around universal topics in sustainability and meaningful travel
Networking opportunities with other travel and tourism professionals
Actionable best practices in destination stewardship
Upcoming Programs:
Immediate Past Programs:
Host a Meaningful Travel Summit
Through partnerships with destinations, the Meaningful Travel Summit becomes a vehicle to create more inclusion and representation in travel - highlighting destinations in a unique way by inviting community members and change-makers to sit center stage and tell their stories. Destinations are welcome to submit a letter of interest, expressing their commitment to the Tourism Cares Meaningful Travel Program. Learn more about hosting by clicking the links below.
Since 2003, Tourism Cares has donated more than $1.2 million in grants and volunteer time to destinations around the world.
More than 53,000 volunteer hours donated at dozens of sites around the world
Hundreds of non-profits, social enterprises + local businesses impacted economically
7,000 industry pros brought together to build relationships and use their businesses for good
See us in action.
Summit Locations since 2003
Jordan
Peru
Colombia
New York, NY
New Orleans, LA
Mount Vernon, VA
Biloxi, MS
Gettysburg, PA
Virginia City, NV
San Francisco, CA
Mystic, CT
Pensacola, FL
Sacramento, CA
Plymouth, MA
San Pedro, CA
Miami, FL
Loudon County, VA
Seattle, WA
Minneapolis, MN
Atlanta, GA
Providence, RI
Toronto, ON
Oakland, CA
Detroit, MI
Marathon, FL
San Juan/Ponce, Puerto Rico
North Lake Tahoe, CA
Victoria, BC
Tromsø and Svalbard, Norway
Meaningful Travel Summit Partners
Learn more about just some of the partners we worked for many of our programs. Support their good works by visiting their sites, following on social media or making a donation.
Conservation/Volunteer
Social/Community
Historic/Cultural
SPOTLIGHT: THE PEOPLE + PLACES OF TOURISM CARES
Plimoth Patuxet | Tourism Cares with Plimoth 2014
Our host during our Meaningful Travel Summit event in 2014, volunteers had the opportunity to work at the Wampanoag Homesite, located in Historic Patuxet along the banks of the Eel River. With Indigenous people as their guides, volunteers built matt covered homes, or wetus, in preparation for the winter season.