PRESS RELEASE: Tourism Visionaries Unite to Tackle Climate Adaptation at WTM London
London, 5 November 2025 — Global tourism and climate leaders convened today at the ICF Tourism Visionaries Circle – Climate Adaptation Roundtable during World Travel Market London to address how destinations can prepare for and adapt to the critical environmental challenges expected by 2050.
The high-level discussion, hosted by ICF in collaboration with the Global Travel and Tourism Resilience Council, gathered a select group of public- and private-sector executives to explore practical strategies for mitigating the impact of rising temperatures, extreme weather events, coastal vulnerabilities across global destinations, water reserve impacts, and more.
Moderated by Nikolaos Gkolfinopoulos, Head of Tourism at ICF, the roundtable featured contributions from leading figures including:
Adam Oubuih, CEO, Atout France
Alessandra Priante, President, ENIT – Italian National Tourism Board
Marilena Vuiu, Associate Director, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)
Oddný Arnarsdóttir, Head of Visit Iceland
Rodrigo Esponda Cascajares, Managing Director, Los Cabos Tourism Board
Rebecca Whitehead, Sustainability Manager, World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC)
Ana Rivas, Director of Turismo Navarra, Spain
Patrick Fritz, Technical Director, UN Tourism
Theodoros Tzoumas, Mayor of Skiathos Island, Greece
Participants emphasized the urgent need for coordinated climate adaptation strategies for tourism destinations and the wider sector that go beyond mitigation, calling for cross-sectoral partnerships, enhanced governance frameworks, and financial instruments that can translate awareness into measurable action. The most important outcome; participants confirmed the urgent need of action taking today.
Nikolaos Gkolfinopoulos, Head of Tourism at ICF, added, “ICF is committed to assisting and guiding destinations move from strategies to action taking and on-the-ground implementation by providing cutting edge solutions that combine tourism development expertise with climate science. While we are advancing mitigation, we fall short on understanding and adapting our destinations to the climate realities which are written and expected with certainty for at least by 2050. Tourism’s climate adaptation is not anymore a future problem, it is today’s most significant challenge.”
The Resilience Council is proud to have partnered with ICF, our Executive Leader, focused on climate adaptation, sustainable tourism, and destination development. Through this collaboration, ICF and the Resilience Council engage partners across the tourism value chain to debate current stage and solutions at hand for adapting to climate change and to connect with industry thought leaders for lasting partnerships.
Laurie Myers, Global Strategist of the Resilience Council, commented, “The conversation around climate change in tourism must evolve from abstract ambition to concrete adaptation. What today’s roundtable demonstrated is that destinations are ready to act, they just need the right partnerships, evidence, and investment to make resilience real.”
The Visionaries Circle concluded with a shared commitment to building collaborative frameworks that enable destinations, investors, and development partners to turn climate science data into tourism adaptive action for real long-term resilience.
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About ICF
ICF is a leading global solutions and technology provider. ICF combines unmatched expertise with cutting-edge technology to help clients solve their most complex challenges, navigate change, and shape the future. Guided by our purpose and values, we are steadfast in our commitment to our culture to building a more prosperous and resilient world for all. Responsible tourism development is at the heart of the global solutions for the sector, combined with interdisciplinary expertise which makes ICF unique in addressing the most urgent and critical challenges the tourism sector and its industries face. ICF is an Affiliate Member of UN Tourism, and Industry Partner of the World Travel and Tourism Council, and an Executive Leader of the Global Travel and Tourism Resilience Council. www.icf.com
About the Global Travel and Tourism Resilience Council
The Resilience Council is a global platform that brings together public and private sector leaders to address crisis management, recovery, sustainability, and resilience in travel and tourism. Established in 2018, it serves as a bridge between industry, governments, and international organizations to advance strategic dialogue, partnerships, and solutions that ensure a more secure and sustainable future for global tourism. resiliencecouncil.com