Meaningful Travel Summit Mobilizes Positive Change for Lake Tahoe and California Tourism

After a two-year hiatus, Tourism Cares’ Meaningful Travel Summit returned to Lake Tahoe, connecting over 150 tourism industry professionals and local changemakers to collaborate, infuse more sustainability into practices and complete volunteer work in the local community.

Four members of Visit California’s team joined the conference as did several others from California DMOs. 

The summit kicked off with opening remarks from the Waší∙šiw tribe – the original stewards and people of Tahoe – about the region’s history and the tribe’s impact in shaping the Tahoe Basin. Subsequent sessions discussed creating more inclusive outdoor spaces and the urgent need to take action around climate. Key session takeaways include:

1. Forty-two percent of travelers are willing to prioritize sustainable travel in the future, but only 15% of these travelers are sufficiently familiar with what sustainable travel means.
2. All future scenarios for keeping temperature increase on earth below 1.5 degrees, include carbon removal.
3. Understanding the impact of tourism on indigenous communities is vital and will help tribes participate in tourism and create a more equitable and respectful industry.
4. Diversity in the outdoors begins with access and subsequently, visibility of that access.
5. The direct and indirect effects of climate change will affect every part of our industry if action is not taken now.
6. Equity and the environment go hand-in-hand.

As part of the event, attendees also joined Clean Up the Lake, Keep Tahoe Blue, North Tahoe Fire Protection District, Slow Food Tahoe, Tahoe Area Mountain Biking Association and UC Davis Research Center for a volunteer day around North Lake Tahoe.

1. Sustainability and Public Affairs Manager Dan Smith joined the University of California, Davis’ Tahoe Science Center to learn more about the lake’s ecosystem and why it is changing. Dan, along with his peers, helped prepare a demonstration garden for local students and tourists to learn about the lake and how to be a good steward of the destination.
2. Rural Marketing Manager Melissa Nilssen joined Slow Food Tahoe, a nonprofit that operates a food bank and community garden in Truckee. Melissa helped build raised garden beds for local community members with accessibility needs.
3. Corporate Communications Coordinator Caitlin Cole and Media Relations Coordinator Xavier Roque joined the North Tahoe Fire Protection District in removing organic materials and creating wildfire protection space in North Lake Tahoe. 

On the final day of the event, attendees pledged to build on the summit in their personal and professional lives. These commitments include Visit California’s organizational commitment to sustainability and the development of regionally specific tourism plans that will increase community resilience in the face of future economic and environmental headwinds.

Learn more and get involved with Tourism Cares.