Resilience
Dear reader,
the conflict that started as an attack on Iran gets more devastating and dangerous by the day. Italian troops were attacked, and a French soldier was killed. The world is one official declaration of war on Iran by the Prime Minister of Italy or the President of France, away from Article 5 of the NATO treaty, forcing all NATO member states to join with their military forces into the melee.
As mentioned before here, there are winners and losers. One needs to mention first and foremost the millions of people displaced, traumatised, wounded, or even killed in the war. With a narrower professional focus, the expectation that Chinese airlines will increase the number of flights from Europe to China and onwards to destinations in East and Southeast China has become a reality. European destinations are looking forward to receiving EU citizens who originally planned to fly to Bali or Sri Lanka for the Easter Holidays.
On the other hand, for example, the government in Nepal, while being in transition to hand over the power to the newly elected majority party, decided to sell LPG containers only half-filled to customers in an attempt to minimize hoarding. While half of the 6.6 million Nepali households are still using firewood as the main energy source for cooking, the other half is stuck with big LPG bottles and gas stoves. All LPG is coming from India and is subsidised by the government, a policy which will not only become much more costly, if the world market price doubles as is generally expected. It will also put the country in danger of being cut off from the supply, if India finds that it needs all available gas for its own citizens.
For tourism and hospitality in Nepal, the result is that many restaurants and hotels have already closed or reduced their opening hours as the supply is not guaranteed anymore, and the number of guests has gone down dramatically.
Resilience, a word which came to prominence during the CoViD-19 years, is making a comeback. Your humble editor had the honour to participate in a podcast about the consequences of the war in the Middle East on tourism in South Asia (see MTC news). The host, one of the organisers of the PTM Pakistan Travel Mart and the Sustainable Destinations Forum in Karachi on April 3-5, 2026, underlined that the PTM will take place for sure, regardless of the bombs falling on neighbouring Iran and the armed conflict with neighboring Afghanistan in the west. Your humble editor will have to find a way how to reach Karachi from Kathmandu. What looks on the map like a straight five-hour flight will probably turn into a 24-hour trip each way. If you make it to PTM, please visit the Meaningful Tourism Centre stand!
As always, all best wishes from the Meaningful Tourism Weekly team in Kathmandu and Manila, and from the whole Meaningful Tourism community to all our readers!
Meaningful Tourism in three fairs in Asia – Weekly update
MTC, including its section COTRI, is supporting three major tourism fairs and conferences taking place in April, May and June 2026 in Pakistan and China. For all three fairs, special MTC RECOMMENDED EXHIBITOR and COTRI RECOMMENDED EXHIBITOR packages are available for exhibitors using MTC and COTRI to book their booth at no additional cost.
The number of videos providing additional information about the advantages of participation in one or several of the fairs continues to grow. They can be found on the MTC YouTube channel and on Instagram.
The organisers of the Pakistan Travel Mart have confirmed that they are planning to go ahead with the fair as planned, despite military conflicts in Iran and the Middle East and the border fights between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Thank you to all our readers who already registered for the COTRI & Ecotourism Kenya webinar providing information about the RECOMMENDED EXHIBITOR program. The webinar will take place on March 26, at 11 am Kenya time and is open for all interested persons, companies, and organisations. Please see the information for registration in the Events section below.
MTC introduces the next of the three new MTC Certified Trainers
Please see below the introduction of one of the three new Certified Trainers MTC welcomed in February.
In today’s edition, you will find the introduction of our trainer for Tamil Nadu, India, Mr. Mahadevan Parasuraman. He is a tourism expert, planner, and researcher who has served as a consultant for projects funded by the ADB, UNDP, and WWF, and is also a qualified expert and auditor for Green Destinations.
Meaningful Tourism Community: The Meaningful Tourism Transformational Game Workshop Trainer
Mahadevan Parasuraman - Certified Trainer for Tamil Nadu, India
Mahadevan Parasuraman is a tourism expert, planner, destination auditor, and researcher with nearly two decades of experience. He has worked as a tourism consultant and expert in different multilateral projects funded by Asian Development Bank (ADB), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and World Wildlife Fund India (WWF). He is also a Qualified expert, partner, and auditor for the Netherlands-based 'Green Destinations' Awards and Certification Program.
He had been Secretary of the District Tourism Promotion Council in three districts under the Kerala Tourism Department and was instrumental in successfully implementing many projects and plan formulations, and has also engaged with projects for different state tourism boards in India. His areas of interest include destination assessment and certification, tourism planning, accessible tourism, hazard and disaster management, and tourism and digitalization.
Current Tourism situation in India and how the Meaningful Tourism paradigm can contribute to its development
Ministry of Tourism, Government of India reports that India accounted for 1.40% of total international arrivals and contributed 2.02% to worldwide tourism receipts in 2024. It further states that, for the same year, India received 20.57 million international tourists and 2948.19 million domestic tourists. According to the WTTC report of 2024, India is presently the eighth largest tourism economy with a contribution of 231.6 billion USD to its GDP and has exceeded pre-pandemic figures. The outbound market of India is growing stupendously, with 30.89 million departures exhibiting a growth of 10.79% over the previous year.
This development is driven by enhanced infrastructure, supportive government policies, and an increasing desire among travelers for experiential and nature-oriented journeys. The government has launched several proactive schemes for infrastructure development across destinations and circuits, notably Prashad, Swadesh Darshan, and SASCI. However, despite this expansion, the industry faces several challenges, including insufficient marketing investment, limited skilled labor, limited digital preparedness, and a lack of cohesive global branding. There are issues, including overtourism, environmental degradation, climate change, lack of cleanliness and waste management, issues related to implementing sustainability practices, and uneven distribution of tourism revenue.
This is where the concept of 'Meaningful Tourism' becomes pertinent. It can create authentic value for host communities, local cultures, and natural environments rather than merely focusing on economic output. Meaningful Tourism can address India's diverse needs and developmental goals and can assist in holistic sustainable tourism growth coupled with climate adaptation planning. The concept can foster community-centered experiences, assist in cultural preservation, and promote environmental and climate stewardship at the grassroots level. This can attract more responsible and sustainable travelers and result in equitable and inclusive development.
MTC Certified Trainers
Please find below an overview of all our Certified Trainers for the Meaningful Tourism Transformational Game Workshop, along with the World Map showing the countries currently covered directly or indirectly.
The network of MTC Certified Trainers is constantly growing. As shown on the map, many countries and regions worldwide are already served by dedicated experts. However, MTC is continuously looking for professionals with experience in training or lecturing and a passion for sustainable tourism to join the network and fill the blanks on the map.
Exploring the China Tourism Market Webinar
📅 Thursday, 26 March 2026
⏰ 11:00 AM EAT
Pakistan Travel Mart (PTM) 2026
April 3–5, 2026: Karachi
April 7–8, 2026: Lahore
Guangzhou International Travel Fair (GITF) 2026
May 21–23, 2026
Beijing International Travel & Lifestyle Fair (BITLF)
June 12–14, 2026
About Meaningful Tourism Weekly
Meaningful Tourism Weekly is published every Thursday by Meaningful Tourism Centre (MTC) - London and Kathmandu in collaboration with Travel Asia Now, led by Rhea Vitto Tabora.
Each issue features an Editorial, updates on MTC activities, a Best Practice Example, a profile of an MTC-certified trainer, news about upcoming events, and, occasionally, additional op-ed pieces from guest authors. Carefully selected news items, including videos and podcasts, are also included, with links to their original sources in the Meaningful Tourism News section.
Subscription to Meaningful Tourism Weekly is free, with the addition of a paid content section that includes a library of surveys, exclusive articles, conference presentations, and statistical data, offering subscribers invaluable resources.
Sponsorship opportunities are available for those interested in supporting this initiative.
For more information about MTC's training programs, market research, product adaptation, consulting services, conferences, strategy development, and marketing, visit our website or email us at info@meaningfultourismcentre.org.
