Is sustainable tourism the best way to think about tourism? What other alternatives and perspectives are out there? In this episode, CPAM's Assistant Director, Erin Hicks, invites you to tune in to the conversation she had with Crista Valentino, Interim Director of the Jackson Travel and Tourism Board in the State of Wyoming, in the United States. Together they discuss the idea of regenerative tourism as an alternative to sustainable tourism, as well as the sustainable tourism destination management plan Crista is involved with.

In this episode we talk with Elena Scobioala the local coordinator for the U.S. Forest Service International Programs in the Republic of Moldova. Elena’s background comprises 10 years of work at the Ecological Movement of Moldova NGO. She has also worked in other professional associations, such as managing small and medium scale environmental projects focused on education as well as awareness raising and civic engagement for nature protection. Elena speaks about the natural and cultural heritage of her country, highlighting that Moldova is an "off the beaten path" hidden gem. Elena tells us that her entire career has been focused on working with and caring for people and nature, and this is why she thinks sustainable tourism means love.

It is a difficult balance between protecting natural areas and ensuring that the communities that live close to or in those areas are not affected by this "protection." In this episode, Gloria Mwenge from the Democratic Republic of the Congo discusses the importance of making protected areas available and accessible to locals before foreigners, reminding us that tourists are not only those who come from abroad. Gloria tells us about the challenges and difficulties, as well as the success stories of working as a coordinator at Uwezo Wetu, an NGO focused on Sustainable Tourism and Gender Equity in the Democratic Republic of Congo, explaining how inside chaos she sees hope.