About the Network

The Rethinking Tourism Network connects artists, architects, researchers, designers, community organizers and tourism initiatives from around the world to contribute to alternative, community-driven approaches to tourism. Rooted in transdisciplinary practice, the network challenges dominant tourism narratives and supports regenerative models built on care, collaboration, and local knowledge.

Our mission is to critically examine tourism’s impacts and co-create regenerative alternatives. Through artistic practice, dialogue, residencies, and shared tools, we work toward a tourism sector that respects people, place, and planet.

We vision a future where tourism supports care, cultural understanding, and environmental responsibility—honouring communities, nurturing local knowledge, and promoting fair, sustainable futures for people and the planet.

The network developed from the An Urgent Situation (2021), a PRAKSIS initiative that proposed that artists, architects and other creatives can play an important role in rethinking tourism; by acting with care and concern, they can propel critical changes in the industry’s infrastructure. Click here to read more about An Urgent Situation.

Values

Local Agency – Communities hold the knowledge needed for their own sustainable futures.
Care & Responsibility – Tourism should nurture people and places, not exploit them.
Solidarity and Collaboration – We work together across borders, sectors, and cultures with humility and respect.
Critical Reflection – We question dominant tourism narratives and commit to continuous learning and transformation.
Regeneration over Extraction – We support tourism models that restore cultural and ecological balance rather than depleting them.
Equity and Accessibility – We stand for inclusive practices that recognise the impacts of colonial histories and seek more just futures.
Radical Openness – We encourage open access to knowledge, sharing insights and methods transparently.
Artistic Practice as Inquiry – Artistic practice is a way to explore, question, imagine, and reshape new possibilities.
Contextual Adaptability – We prioritise flexible, place-specific strategies that reflect the needs, stories, and aspirations of each unique community.
Economic Justice – We advocate for tourism that contributes to the economic wellbeing and resilience of local communities.

Why Now?
Tourism is at a turning point. From environmental degradation to community displacement and cultural commodification, the sector faces urgent calls for transformation. Rethinking Tourism Network believes artists and cultural actors have a crucial role in shaping new models—ones that respect communities, foster equity, and centre local knowledge and care.

Partners & Contributors