Whereas attending the EHL Open Innovation Summit in Lausanne, we met with Sarah Marquis, Nationwide Geographic Explorer, to speak about the way forward for journey and what makes it really significant. In our dialog, she mirrored on the significance of emotional connection, the irreplaceable worth of strolling, and the way actual journey is rarely about expertise however about presence, feeling, and being a part of the pure world.
Which expertise or innovation do you consider can have the largest influence on journey and hospitality over the following 5 to 10 years?
From my viewpoint, the true influence won’t come from exterior expertise. It should come from inside—the expertise itself. What I search for after I journey is a boutique second, a one-to-one reference to the locals, one thing deep and human. I wish to sit in the most effective espresso store, drink the native drink, really feel the air, hear the language, and see life move by. Journey must be about emotion and variety. That’s what makes it magical. It isn’t simply transferring from one place to a different. It’s about dwelling, respiration, and feeling a unique world. That’s the type of expertise we should defend and encourage.
What wouldn’t it take for us to cease compensating for our environmental footprint and begin really therapeutic the system?
To this point now we have approached this the fallacious approach. We wish to look inexperienced however we regularly don’t take the true steps to be in concord with the planet. I can converse from my very own expertise as a survivalist and explorer. I’ve hunted for meals and survived off the land. I’ve additionally made the aware option to cease taking from nature. On one expedition in Australia, I got here to a canyon with solely three fish in a pond. I used to be ravenous, had misplaced 5 kilograms, however I selected to not eat them. That second modified me. It was the beginning of my path to veganism. The subsequent step for humanity is to rise in consciousness. When that occurs, we are going to know what to do. It won’t be about ticking bins. It is going to be about concord and consciousness.
You’ve got explored locations most individuals can solely dream of. Is there an moral approach for others to expertise these fragile ecosystems?
Sure, and it begins with strolling. Strolling is the human pace. Our senses are made for it. After we stroll, we expertise every little thing extra deeply and disturb the surroundings the least. I’ve discovered this over 25 years. One other approach is to work with the locals. In Mongolia, I used to be guided by a Mongolian who took me into his household. It was an actual expertise. Involving indigenous individuals results in extra genuine, respectful, and significant journey. Journey takes time. It can’t be rushed.
Do you suppose digital or augmented experiences, like VR, can substitute or put together us for the true expertise of nature?
No. For me, there isn’t a such factor as a digital expertise of nature. That isn’t an expertise. It’s a preview. I dwell between two worlds—one the place I put on practically the identical garments on daily basis, and one the place I’m out within the wild, not washing for 3 months, dwelling off the land. When you find yourself actually on the market, unmapped, respiration the land, you turn out to be a part of it. There isn’t any substitute for that. Our our bodies have senses. Our coronary heart is our core. That’s the place expertise occurs. We can’t really feel that by way of a display screen. Instagram, iPhones, VR—they present us one thing, however they don’t allow us to dwell it.
Is there a proper or fallacious method to inform a narrative a few vacation spot?
Sure. An expertise is not only in regards to the vacation spot. It’s about what you are feeling. I keep in mind being in Italy, in a horrible practice station espresso store at 4 within the morning. I had an espresso in a paper cup, and it was the most effective I’ve ever had. Not due to the espresso, however due to the second. That was the expertise. The scent, the style, the tiredness, the place—all of it got here collectively. That’s what journey is. You don’t suppose experiences: you reside them.
Concerning the EHL Open Innovation Summit 2025
This interview was recorded through the EHL Open Innovation Summit in Lausanne, the place Hospitality Internet joined as official media accomplice.
The occasion introduced collectively a worldwide mixture of thinkers and doers to discover the way forward for hospitality, meals, and journey by way of open innovation. What made it particular was the combination of concepts, codecs, and other people. It was not solely about tech or talks. It was additionally about individuals exhibiting up, working collectively, and sharing vitality in actual time.
Key Figures
- 385 contributors
- 48 audio system and contributors from greater than 20 nations
- 7 innovation challenges collectively addressed
- 45 periods
- 25 pupil volunteers
- 15 F&B startups letting us style the long run
- 1.5 days of connection, studying, and co-creation
Key Insights from the Summit
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1. A brand new benchmark for hospitality innovation
The summit set a brand new commonplace by weaving collectively AI, sustainability, regeneration, and human connection – exhibiting that innovation in hospitality, luxurious and meals have to be holistic, human-centric, and purpose-driven. Individuals repeatedly highlighted the necessity to transcend effectivity and into significant transformation. -
From data change to real-time co-creation
Greater than only a sequence of talks, the summit was an activation area – a dwelling lab the place various minds labored collectively on urgent challenges, from regenerative tourism to round luxurious to AI in visitor expertise. It was a showcase of collective intelligence in movement. -
Collaboration because the engine of methods change
Open Innovation got here alive not as a buzzword, however as a relational follow. From panelists to college students, from world explorers to startup founders, everybody was invited to co-create, join dots, and contribute. Individuals repeatedly stated they skilled true collaboration throughout boundaries, business, sector, age, and background. -
The ability of presence: hearts, minds, and fingers
Whether or not strolling within the forest, portray collectively, or debating future methods, attendees embraced the concept that innovation isn’t solely about tech and metrics – it’s additionally about embodied expertise, slowing down to hurry up, and nurturing a regenerative mindset. -
The long run is “AND” – not “both/or”
A recurring takeaway: we should cease selecting between extremes. The long run is tech AND human, wholesome AND scrumptious, worthwhile AND impactful. This “integration mindset” is already informing how leaders, startups, and educators current are reshaping their methods. -
The start of a long-term motion
Attendees described the summit as the beginning of one thing a lot larger – a platform for experimentation, studying, and alliance-building. The EHL Innovation Hub was acknowledged not solely as an educational powerhouse, however as a real catalyst for regenerative innovation throughout hospitality, service, meals, and journey.