This paper discusses the importance of embedding future thinking, on the ground, experiential learning into the higher education curriculum. Neoliberal capitalist forms of tourism perpetuate social and environmental inequalities – consequently exacerbating the effects of climate change, particularly in low lying islands such as Samoa. While sustainable tourism has focused on alternative forms of tourism that have less impacts on natural environments and host communities, these approaches have not gone far enough to address these issues. Instead, we argue that tourism researchers and professionals need to focus on implementing models that ‘regenerate’, not merely ‘sustain’ destinations. For tourism students who will be future professionals in the industry, these forms of learning are vital to equip them with the knowledge and skills necessary to drive more responsible forms of tourism.
The paper draws from the experiences and reflections from a recent trip to Samoa, with a group of 18 students from the university of Newcastle Australia. The main purpose of the trip was for students to better understand issues related to how climate change (as a result of unequal resource exploitation and impacts) is a key issue that directly affects low lying islands such as Samoa and to consider the enables and barriers for solving environmental challenges that incorporate cultural, societal and community knowledge. Students visited local organisations including businesses, NGOs, NFPs to gain a sense of what is looks like on the ground in working towards regenerative futures. Students gained insights into regenerative tourism through their involvement with the local community of Moata’a with a three day immersive homestay experience and engaged in strengthening partnerships between the University of Newcastle and local communities and businesses. The paper reflects on the importance of experiential learning for future thinking in the face of increasing global crises.