The tourism industry was put to an abrupt halt when the COVID-19 virus began to spread in the spring of 2020. Close to 100% of countries had some sort of regulation or travel restriction in April 2020, making it extremely difficult for all those involved in this industry. As a result, countries that rely on their income and revenue from tourism are facing great challenges and despair. Especially in regions like Southeast Asia, millions of individuals have lost their jobs, livelihoods and ways of living as travel has been prohibited over the past few years. 

Now that the the world is beginning to return to a "new normal" and individuals are traveling once again, there must be new safety measures and regulations in place in order to sustain the future of tourism. Without updated practices in place, countries have a higher risk of spreading the virus and suffering even more from the pandemic. Thus, it is vital that the idea of sustainable tourism must be rethought and revised.

In 2005, the term “sustainable tourism” was defined by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) as “one whose practices and principles can be applicable to all forms of tourism in all types of destinations, including mass tourism and the various niche tourism segments." While many of the factors in this defintion are still relevant today, the term needs to include current issues the tourism industry is facing, including the COVID-19 pandemic. 

There are a million potential definitions out there for this umbrella term in a post-pandemic world, but one potential defintion is as follows: one whose practices and principles can be applicable to all forms of tourism in all types of destinations, take into consideration and honor the health and safety measures and regulations in said destination, promote ecotourism and finally, place a heavy emphasis on proximity tourism. If you agree with this defintion, or even just agree that it is necessary for a new defintion of "sustainable tourism" to be crafted, please sign this petition!