TMI Hot Topic 21st May 2025
‘The Future for Tourism - An Innovative Approach to Destination Management’
Hot Topic Speakers
Jan Klavora
Director - Visit GoodPlace
Jan Klavora is a tourism development specialist with a focus on sustainable travel, cycling tourism, and outdoor recreation. He is the director of Visit GoodPlace, a tourism agency that develops cycling and hiking products rooted in sustainability and local partnerships. He has played a key role in creating several long-distance cycling routes, including Trans Slovenia, Trans Dinarica, and the Slovenia Green Routes, in collaboration with public institutions and international partners.
In addition to destination and product development, Jan is also active in the organization of outdoor sports events. As a co-director and co-owner, he has helped establish and manage events such as the Soča Outdoor Festival, Julian Alps Trail Run by UTMB, and other regional trail and cycling events. He is a co-founder of GoodPlace – Factory of Sustainable Tourism, where he contributes to tourism strategies, sustainability frameworks, and international cooperation projects across Slovenia and the Western Balkans.
Rebecca Armstrong
Sustainable Tourism Specialist - The Travel Foundation
Rebecca Armstrong is a Sustainable Tourism Specialist at the Travel Foundation, a leading global NGO that works in partnership with governments, businesses, and communities to develop and manage tourism in a way that maximises the benefits for destination communities and the environment. The Travel Foundation is UNWTO’s implementation partner for the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism, and recently co-produced Envisioning Tourism in 2030, a research report developed to help policymakers and the tourism industry understand what a global, thriving, decarbonising tourism industry could look like by 2030 and through to 2050.
Rebecca left her previous career as a lawyer in 2008 to take an MSc in Responsible Tourism Management, then worked as a consultant with a variety of destination organisations, travel businesses and industry associations. She joined the Travel Foundation team in 2021, where she has recently worked with destinations, stakeholders and partners in Scotland to support climate action planning.
Saba Kauser
Behavior Change Specialist - BehaviorSMART
Saba is a Behavior Change Specialist using Behavioral Science to design sustainable travel solutions. With a Master’s degree in Behavioral & Decision Sciences from the University of Pennsylvania, she works with BehaviorSMART to create travel solutions for destinations, operators and travel businesses that seamlessly integrate sustainability, making it easy and part of the design. She also consults for Royal Enfield Social Mission, researching motorcycle rider behavior and its impact on high-altitude mountain landscapes and communities. A passionate traveler and advocate for sustainability, Saba is committed to making responsible travel practical and accessible. Her work highlights behavioral research and analytics as key drivers of lasting change.
Ewout Versloot
Strategist - Netherlands Board of Tourism and Conventions
Ewout Versloot is a strategist focused on the future of tourism and sustainable destination development. At the Netherlands Board of Tourism and Conventions, he's been working on innovative ways to help Dutch destinations get ready for what’s ahead. Ewout is passionate about keeping tourism relevant, sustainable, and making sure the sector has a positive impact on the communities it touches.
Joshua Ryan-Saha
Joshua Ryan-Saha is Director of Tourism, Travel and Festivals at the Edinburgh Futures Institute, University of Edinburgh. He established Traveltech for Scotland, supporting over £20m in inward investment to the sector. He advises industry leadership on data, AI, and technology transformation. Globally, he delivers AI and innovation workshops, advising destinations and professionals, including the AI for Opener for Destinations programme, American Hotel and Lodging Association and traveltech investors.
His prior experience includes leading data science initiatives and leading innovation programmes like the Longitude Prize at Nesta, which featured on BBC Horizon’s Anniversary episode. Earlier in his career, he managed constitutional reform and reconciliation projects in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Sarah Stride
Manager of Account Management - Simpleview (Headline Sponsor)
Sarah is Manager of Account Management for Simpleview. With over 15 years’ experience in the destination sector, Sarah works with Simpleview clients to maximise their digital systems to attract visitors and increase economic impact. Having previously led the destination marketing for Visit South Devon, Sarah understands the commercial and organisational challenges faced by destinations, and uses this knowledge to support and benefit the clients that she works with.
Simpleview provides solutions for destinations of all sizes and budgets. Our clients range from national tourism organisations including Visit Scotland, Visit Norway and Visit Northern Ireland to destination marketing organisations including Visit Bristol and Bath, English Riviera, Visit Brighton, Visit Isle of Man, Visit Isles of Scilly and Visit Manchester to name a few.
With unparalleled industry experience and a focused and dedicated team, we pride ourselves in offering destination marketing excellence - we have the resources, bandwidth, experience and expertise to help our clients achieve their digital marketing objectives.
Shaon Talukder
Director - Geotourist
Shaon first joined the TMI in 2017 after his company, Geotourist had been cited by Visit Britain as building “the Future of Travel-tech” in their “Future Trends” Report.
Geotourist was created to be, “Your personal guide to the world”, mapping personal, hyper-local stories of people and places for posterity to guide people seamlessly from location to location, connecting places together, and explaining what makes our world meaningful.
The immersive technology has been adopted by local community groups, all the way through to regional & national DMOs, tourism consultants, attractions, academia and international brands including National Trust, Visit Scotland, Historic England, TFL and many more in the UK and abroad.
Geotourist’s latest innovation, “Destination Intelligence” is a data platform which uniquely informs destination organisations, strategically and tactically on how to bring different visitors right to their doorsteps, using behavioural insights to influence where people go, creating new discovery & economic opportunities in real-time.
Shaon’s leadership roles include, Director of The Tourism Society, & Founding Member of Phocuswright’s TravelTechNation Fellowship, The World Travel and Tourism Council, The Male Allyship Group, a number of advisory boards & Startup Accelerator Mentor. He is also guest-lecturer at several UK & international universities and is a research partner at the Artificial Intelligence Labs at the Future Institute at Edinburgh University.
Anke Monestel
Head of Regional Development and Engagement - VisitEngland/Visit Britain
Anke is the Head of England Partner and Engagement at VisitEngland, having worked within VisitEngland and VisitBritain for the past 18 years. With specialisms in travel trade, relationships, and consumer and trade marketing, Anke brings a clear understanding of European markets, and brand and events management to her role.
As well as leading large-scale projects, including VisitBritain’s Olympic projects, Anke currently plays a key role in the forming and development of the new national LVEP structure, working closely with DMO’s across the country
With thanks to our event speakers.