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 actually significant. In our dialog, she mirrored on the significance of emotional connection, the irreplaceable worth of strolling, and the way actual journey isn’t about expertise however about presence, feeling, and being a part of the pure world.
Which expertise or innovation do you consider could have the largest affect on journey and hospitality over the following 5 to 10 years?
From my standpoint, the actual affect won’t come from exterior expertise. It is going to 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 cross by. Journey must be about emotion and variety. That’s what makes it magical. It isn’t simply shifting from one place to a different. It’s about dwelling, respiratory, and feeling a special world. That’s the form of expertise we should defend and encourage.
What wouldn’t it take for us to cease compensating for our environmental footprint and begin truly therapeutic the system?
To this point we’ve approached this the improper means. We wish to look inexperienced however we regularly don’t take the actual 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 acutely 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 following step for humanity is to rise in consciousness. When that occurs, we’ll know what to do. It won’t be about ticking bins. It is going to be about concord and consciousness.
You could have explored locations most individuals can solely dream of. Is there an moral means for others to expertise these fragile ecosystems?
Sure, and it begins with strolling. Strolling is the human pace. Our senses are made for it. Once we stroll, we expertise all the pieces extra deeply and disturb the setting the least. I’ve realized this over 25 years. One other means 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 actual expertise of nature?
No. For me, there isn’t a such factor as a digital expertise of nature. That’s not an expertise. It’s a preview. I stay between two worlds—one the place I put on practically the identical garments each day, 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, respiratory the land, you turn out to be a part of it. There is no such thing as a 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 via a display. Instagram, iPhones, VR—they present us one thing, however they don’t allow us to stay it.
Is there a proper or improper technique to inform a narrative a few vacation spot?
Sure. An expertise isn’t just concerning 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 top-of-the-line I’ve ever had. Not due to the espresso, however due to the second. That was the expertise. The odor, 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.
In regards to the EHL Open Innovation Summit 2025
This interview was recorded in the course of the EHL Open Innovation Summit in Lausanne, the place Hospitality Internet joined as official media companion.
The occasion introduced collectively a world mixture of thinkers and doers to discover the way forward for hospitality, meals, and journey via open innovation. What made it particular was the combination of concepts, codecs, and folks. It was not solely about tech or talks. It was additionally about individuals displaying up, working collectively, and sharing vitality in actual time.
Key Figures
- 385 members
- 48 audio system and contributors from greater than 20 international locations
- 7 innovation challenges collectively addressed
- 45 classes
- 25 scholar volunteers
- 15 F&B startups letting us style the longer term
- 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 normal by weaving collectively AI, sustainability, regeneration, and human connection – displaying that innovation in hospitality, luxurious and meals have to be holistic, human-centric, and purpose-driven. Members repeatedly highlighted the necessity to transcend effectivity and into significant transformation. -
From data alternate 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. Members repeatedly stated they skilled true collaboration throughout boundaries, business, sector, age, and background. -
The ability of presence: hearts, minds, and palms
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 longer term is “AND” – not “both/or”
A recurring takeaway: we should cease selecting between extremes. The longer term 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.
