Building Inclusive Destinations for the Future: In-person Event

The travel industry has spent years talking about inclusion. 

This evening is about what comes next.

Strategies have been written. Pledges signed. Campaigns launched. But for too many destinations and too many travellers, the experience on the ground still falls short of the promise. This event doesn't start with best-case studies. It starts with the question that matters most: 

Why does the gap between intention and delivery still exist, and what does it take to close it?

Bringing together destination leaders, DMOs, tourism boards, travel businesses, sustainability leads and trade press - this is a deliberately intimate, high-quality gathering designed to move the conversation forward with honesty, urgency and a clear commercial frame.

"Inclusion is not a campaign. It is infrastructure for sustainable and competitive destinations." Atlyn Forde · Founder, Inclusive Travel Forum

What We'll Explore: Five themes. No comfortable answers.

The Intention–Delivery Gap
Why strong strategies fail at the front line, and what needs to change across marketing, infrastructure, and lived experience.

From Token to Transformative
What meaningful community partnerships genuinely look like, and why much of what exists today falls short of delivering real change.

The Invisible Traveller
Who is missing from your data, and why designing for the “average traveller” is both a commercial and ethical failure.

Inclusion as Commercial Advantage
Stop treating inclusion as a cost. The business case for accessible, representative travel design is stronger than most have calculated.

The 2030 Traveller
Are you designing for who your customer will become, not who they were? The traveller of the future is already here.

Event Programme: An Evening of Purposeful Conversation

4:30 – 5:00 PM
Arrival & Networking
Guest arrival, registration, and informal networking.

5:00 – 5:20 PM
Welcome & Opening Remarks
Introduction to the event, context setting, and key themes.

5:20 – 5:50 PM
Fireside Chat
Building Inclusive Travel Experiences That Work in Practice
An honest, grounded conversation exploring progress, challenges, and how to close the gap between intention and delivery.

5:50 – 6:35 PM
Panel Discussion
Designing the Next Generation of Travel: Inclusion, Innovation & Commercial Reality
A cross-sector panel moderated by Atlyn Forde, followed by audience Q&A.

6:45 – 7:30 PM
Networking Reception
An opportunity to connect, reflect, and turn conversations into collaborations.

Hear From The Experts

We’re bringing together senior voices from across tourism, destination marketing, and travel representation to explore what inclusive destinations will require in the years ahead. Our confirmed speakers bring experience spanning global tourism strategy, destination branding, luxury travel marketing, industry partnerships, and commercial growth.

Confirmed speakers include:

• Patricia Charlery Leon – UK & Europe Director at the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority
• Tracey Poggio – Immediate Past Chair of ANTOR and UK Head of Gibraltar Tourist Board
• Kerrie Bartholomew – Account Director at Clear Marketing International and Board Member of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation UK Chapter
• Acelya Sal - Senior Account Director at Black Diamond Agency
• Ross Calladine - Accessibility & Inclusion Lead, VisitEngland

Who Should Attend

Built for people who shape how travel is built, marketed and experienced.

• Destination Management Organisations 
• Tourism Boards & Associations
• Travel Businesses & Suppliers
• ESG & Sustainability Leads
• Travel Innovation & Technology
• Travel Trade Press

ITF members: use your member code for complimentary admission.