Transforming leisure, tourism and hospitality (LTH) ecosystems:
Experiences from frontrunners
Join us to explore practical pathways toward a more sustainable and transformative future for leisure, tourism and hospitality sector!
This panel, led by the Centre of Expertise Leisure, Tourism & Hospitality, brings together frontrunners who are actively reshaping their operations – from reimagining supply chains and adopting regenerative practices to redesigning guest engagement and fostering deeper connections with place.
Through their real-world experiences, we will explore how diverse philosophies, innovations, and everyday business practices contribute to systemic change in the sector. Panelists will share the opportunities and tensions they encounter as they challenge conventional business models, overcome barriers, and catalyse ripple effects across the wider LTH ecosystem.
Moderator
Jos van der Sterren
International economist with senior experience in tourism destination management, teaching and training, academics and development finance. Senior researcher and lecturer at Breda University. He combines academic work with international project and consultancy assignments in the field of development cooperation, tourism destination management strategies, SME fund management, development finance, SMEs and value chain development.
Currently, he is the CEO of CELTH, previously he was program director at Breda University of the Research and Graduate School and Dean of its Academy for Tourism. He was teamlead consultant to East African Development Bank and fund manager of a credit facility to MSMEs in developing economies. Also he was CEO of Social Microfinance Foundation, addressing client exploitation and overindebtedness.
Speakers
Simon de Wijs
Simon de Wijs works as a transition manager on the SIA-Sprong project ‘Hospitable Transitions’, where he collaborates with (local) frontrunners to accelerate sustainability transitions in and through the Leisure, Tourism & Hospitality domain. He also works as a lecturer and researcher at Breda University of Applied Sciences on topics such as liveable and loveable cities, stakeholder engagement, and leisure for a better society. For the programme Urban Life and Placemaking he is cofounder of the European classroom semester ‘Living in the city’. Since the launch of Uncover magazine in 2007, Simon has been serving as its editor-in-chief.
Anouschka Trauschke
Anouschka Trauschke is co-founder of Tours that Matter, Amsterdam’s first positive impact tour company, designing experiences that spark conversations about what matters and that actively give back to the people and places they visit. She connects deeply to the topic of regenerative placemaking, as a meaningful practice but also a new paradigm. Within the work as transition manager in the Metropolitan Region for the SPRONG "Hospitable Transitions" she translates knowledge and vision into action. Collaborating with frontrunners across academia, policy, and practice to create solutions of how tourism can benefit nature and communities.
Irena Ateljević
Dr. Irena Ateljevic is an internationally recognized scholar, policy advisor, and practitioner in sustainable and regenerative development. She has been at the forefront of integrating regenerative principles into national and local development. She contributed to the Croatian Tourism Development Strategy 2020 and the Regenerative Tourism Strategy for Šibenik 2020–2030, and founded initiatives such as the award-winning Phoenix Arbor project, the eco-social hub SHE – Šibenik Hub for Ecology, and Terra Meera, a regenerative living center recognized by Regeneration International. Currently leading Ajmo Lokalno, a county pilot project designing regenerative agrifood supply chains, she continues to translate academic insight into transformative local practice.
John Hummel
Nine years ago, Dr. John Hummel initiated the Okharbot Organic Farm, a regenerative farm and lodge, just East of Kathmandu, in Nepal. He is passionate about regeneration in mountain landscapes. He designed and implemented several integrated rural development and tourism initiatives in the Himalaya. He has over 30 years of experience in strengthening capacities of organisations in value chain development, facilitating multi-stakeholder planning and collaboration, and assessing impacts. John worked 15 years for SNV in Asia. Together with UNWTO he coordinated over 50 projects in the Sustainable Tourism-Eliminating Poverty (ST-EP) programme, for SNV worldwide. Recently he has been advising the SUSTOUR and Voice for Green Change Partnership projects in Bhutan.