How I Created a Legacy of Sustainability and Leadership in Global Tourism?

Tourism is one of the world’s most powerful industries. It connects cultures, creates millions of jobs, and contributes significantly to global GDP. Yet, it’s also one of the most vulnerable sectors to climate change, overtourism, and environmental degradation.

Early in my career, I realized something crucial: sustainability in tourism cannot succeed without strong leadership.Policies, roadmaps, and certifications matter, but at the heart of every transformation are leaders who champion change, inspire teams, and align stakeholders toward a shared vision of responsible tourism growth.

This realization shaped my entire professional journey. What started as a passion for hospitality grew into a mission to integrate sustainability and leadership into every corner of the tourism ecosystem from local communities to international policy platforms.

Like many women in tourism, I began at the operational level, long hours, tight budgets, and the constant pursuit of customer satisfaction. I loved the dynamism, but I also saw blind spots:

• Environmental Oversights: Hotels discarding food waste without second thought, events generating massive carbon footprints, destinations struggling with waste management.
• Leadership Gaps: Women filled most frontline roles but were absent in senior leadership. Decisions shaping tourism’s future were made by a small, homogeneous group.
• Economic vs. Social Goals: Tourism revenue grew, but local communities often saw little benefit.

When I first proposed integrating sustainability practices in MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, Exhibitions) events, the response was lukewarm at best: “It’s too costly. Guests don’t care.”

But I knew better. Travelers were becoming more conscious. Data showed eco-friendly destinations attracted higher-value visitors. Sustainability wasn’t a burden; it was a competitive advantage waiting to be realized.

The shift happened at a regional tourism forum where I presented on sustainable tourism and leadership diversity.

After my talk, a young woman approached me and said: “I want to lead in tourism one day, but I don’t see anyone like me at the top.”

Her words stayed with me. Leadership wasn’t just about decision-making; it was about representation, mentorship, and creating pathways for others.

That moment changed everything. I decided my work wouldn’t stop at consulting or training. I would build platforms for sustainability, inclusivity, and leadership development at local, regional, and global levels.

The first step was creating World Women Tourism (WWT), a global initiative to empower women leaders in tourism.

Through mentorship programs, leadership workshops, and networking events, WWT gave women the tools and confidence to step into decision-making roles. From Southeast Asia to Africa, we connected women shaping tourism’s future.

Simultaneously, my consulting work expanded. We developed sustainability strategies for:

• Singapore’s MICE Sustainability Roadmap — aiming for all major venues to be green-certified by 2025.
• Bhutan’s Community Tourism Projects — balancing tourism growth with cultural and environmental preservation.
• Brunei’s Agritourism Ventures — transforming farms like I Am Food into eco-friendly tourism attractions.

Each project reinforced a key lesson: sustainability thrives when leaders champion it passionately and consistently.

Over the years, I learned that technical expertise alone doesn’t drive change. Leadership qualities, vision, collaboration, resilience, matter just as much.

Key Lessons Learned:

• Collaboration Beats Competition: Sustainable tourism requires governments, private sectors, and communities working together, not in silos.
• Data Drives Decisions: Presenting facts on ROI from sustainability initiatives converts skeptics into supporters.
• Local Voices Matter: Communities must benefit directly from tourism or projects lose legitimacy.

In Brunei, for instance, involving local farmers in tourism planning turned I Am Food into a model for agritourism success, attracting visitors while promoting food security and environmental awareness.

One truth became increasingly clear: women’s leadership is essential for sustainable tourism.

Women bring perspectives rooted in community, collaboration, and long-term impact, exactly what sustainability demands.

Through World Women Tourism and partnerships with UN Women, we:

• Trained women leaders on sustainability practices.
• Gave them international platforms to share their innovations.
• Created mentorship networks bridging generations and geographies.

I’ve seen women start eco-lodges, lead national tourism boards, and pioneer green certification programs because they finally had support, visibility, and confidence.

Change always meets resistance.

• Policymakers worried sustainability would hurt economic growth.
• Traditionalists doubted women’s leadership potential.
• Businesses feared costs of green certifications or training programs.

I learned to counter resistance with evidence and empathy.

• Showed data proving sustainable practices attract high-value, longer-staying tourists.
• Highlighted studies linking gender-diverse leadership to better business performance.
• Created pilot projects demonstrating low-cost, high-impact sustainability wins.

Over time, allies emerged, tourism boards, NGOs, and private companies ready to scale successful models.

Advocacy needs visibility.

I’ve spoken at platforms like:

• UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) forums
• ITB Asia
• Expo Dubai
• Regional MICE Sustainability Conferences

One highlight was moderating a UNWTO panel on women in sustainable tourism, where leaders from five continents shared strategies to break barriers and drive green innovation.

These stages amplified our message: sustainability and leadership diversity are not optional; they are the future of tourism.

Today, the results speak for themselves:

• Policies: Singapore’s Green MICE Roadmap, Bhutan’s Sustainable Tourism Strategy, Brunei’s Agritourism Development Plan.
• People: Dozens of women mentored into executive roles across Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.
• Places: Destinations adopting eco-certifications, reducing carbon footprints, and investing in community tourism enterprises.

One favorite example is Bhutan’s women-led homestays. They now attract eco-conscious travelers while preserving cultural heritage and providing steady income for rural families.

From these experiences, I developed a Sustainable Leadership Framework for tourism:

1. Purpose-Driven Vision: Leaders must align growth with environmental and social goals.
2. Inclusive Decision-Making: Women, youth, and communities must have seats at the table.
3. Innovation Mindset: Embrace technology for energy efficiency, waste reduction, and visitor management.
4. Global Collaboration: Sustainability challenges cross borders; solutions must too.
5. Legacy Building: Think beyond quarterly profits toward long-term impact on people and planet.

For young professionals, my advice is simple: leadership begins where passion meets purpose.

As climate change accelerates and travelers demand responsibility, tourism faces a choice: return to old models or embrace sustainability and leadership diversity as core principles.

The next decade offers a chance to transform tourism into a force for good, where profit, people, and the planet thrive together.