Interview Words of Pros : Expert in tourism strategies and territorial attractiveness, Brice Duthion shares his vision of a more human tourism, rooted in the territories and meaningful for both travelers and destinations.
A recognized expert in tourism strategies and territorial attractiveness, Brice Duthion has been supporting communities, public institutions and private actors in the design of tourism, cultural and territorial innovation policies for more than twenty-five years.
President and founder of the agency Les Nouveaux Voyages Extraordinaires , consultant, author and speaker, he defends a demanding and humanistic vision of tourism, where travel becomes a lever for transformation for territories as much as a cultural experience for travelers.
In this interview for InfosTourisme , he shares his analysis of the major changes in the sector: new expectations of travellers, transition towards more sustainable models, role of storytelling in the tourist experience and key skills for professionals by 2026.
Summary
More human tourism in a world saturated with platforms
You have always championed a humanistic and cultural approach to tourism. How does this vision fit into a rapidly changing world?
Brice Duthion:
In a world saturated with algorithms and platforms, the humanist approach isn't nostalgic; it's strategic. Global tourism represents 9% of global GDP and employs 1 in 10 workers. But behind these figures, sometimes a little obscure and abstract, a reality emerges: travelers are looking for something more than just the consumption of destinations. They want presence, meaning, and real human connection.
My conviction is that travel is first and foremost a cultural act before it is an economic one. The post-Covid crisis confirmed this: 70% of travelers stated in 2022 that they wanted more authentic and less standardized experiences (Ipsos/Booking). Placing culture, encounters, and knowledge sharing at the heart of travel is also a response to market demand. And it's about building a more human, some would say "more resilient," form of tourism that values places in their uniqueness rather than conforming to global expectations.
New expectations, both from travelers and from the territories
You have been involved in the transformation of the sector for several years. What major changes have you observed in the expectations of travellers and regions?
Brice Duthion:
Two major shifts are clearly evident. On the travelers' side: the growing importance of meaning and responsibility. For example, the barometer of French travel intentions published by Atout France in 2023 shows that 58% of French people now incorporate environmental criteria into their travel choices. "Purposeful" travel—voluntourism, solidarity tourism, professional immersion—is gaining ground, I think across all age groups.
On the territorial level: a growing demand for structure and differentiation. Local authorities no longer simply want to "attract tourists"; they want visitors who reflect their identity, who stay longer, and who spend locally. Mass tourism is beginning to be perceived as a risk, particularly in French coastal and mountain areas. Visitors are expected to behave like residents, mindful of the balance and resources.
Destinations are seeking more refined, targeted, and sustainable tourism strategies, and my consulting work is directly aligned with this transformation. I must say I like this idea of the visitor, the traveler, being considered a temporary resident. And conversely, the idea of the resident as a visitor or traveler for a few hours or a few days.
From sustainable tourism to tourism actually practiced
Sustainable tourism and slow travel are now at the heart of the discussions. How, in your opinion, can we move from concept to actual implementation?
Brice Duthion:
The problem with sustainable tourism is that it has become a label before it has become a practice. Moving from talk to action requires three conditions.
First condition: actual measurement. Without shared indicators—carbon footprint of stays, local economic recirculation rate, resident satisfaction—we remain at the level of intention. There are many initiatives in this area, both in France and internationally. For example, I am working with MKG on the creation of a tourist destination observatory. Fifteen criteria to measure, quantify, qualify, compare, and of course, help to define and guide public tourism policy. We can also mention the Ecoboussole, an initiative of the Grand Est Regional Tourism Agency, or Equinoxe, an initiative launched by Attitude Manche, which is a hospitality approach for both visitors and residents based on a shared commitment to preserving what makes up the essence of La Manche: its wide-open spaces, its rich biodiversity, and its authentic way of life.
Second condition: getting professionals on board. A "slow" tourism offering can't be decreed from a tourist office. It's built in collaboration with accommodation providers, guides, and restaurateurs. Slow travel is about taking your time, using sustainable modes of transport, and immersive experiences; it requires co-creation among stakeholders. This is perfectly illustrated in the Slow Tourism Lab white paper, to which I recently had the pleasure of contributing. The third condition: accepting that it must be economically viable.
Slow travel is not synonymous with low cost. A traveler who stays, for example, seven nights often generates more value than a tourist passing through. This is the economic model that needs to be demonstrated and documented to convince people.
To restore to travel its dimension of storytelling and wonder
With The New Extraordinary Voyages, what is your ambition: to reinvent the narrative of travel or to rehabilitate a certain form of wonder?
Brice Duthion:
The two are linked, and it's precisely this tension that interests me. Jules Verne didn't invent destinations; he invented a perspective. That's what Les Nouveaux Voyages Extraordinaires (The New Extraordinary Voyages) seeks to do: restore to travel its literary, poetic, and exploratory dimension. But also to draw on distant perspectives to make decisions in the present. This is precisely what I advocate to the elected officials and local authorities I work with. In fact, LNVE's raison d'être is "to see the law, to decide as locally as possible."
Paradoxically, we live in an era where everything is "already seen" on Instagram before it's even experienced. Travel storytelling has become impoverished: it's become cosmetic, validated by likes rather than by inner experience. My ambition is to bring storytelling back into travel and travel back into storytelling.
Not nostalgia, but a demand: that the extraordinary not be reserved for the spectacular, that it can be found in a conversation with a craftsman in Burgundy, on a forgotten path in the Mercantour National Park, or in contemplation and meditation in an old, deconsecrated chapel. Rehabilitating wonder is also a political act: it is rejecting cultural standardization and defending the richness of otherness.
The importance of innovation networks in tourism
You participate in several innovation and research networks. What do these ecosystems contribute to the structuring of tomorrow's tourism?
Brice Duthion:
These networks play an absolutely essential role in breaking down silos. Tourism has long operated in silos: institutional players on one side, private operators on the other, researchers in their labs, trainers in their schools.
Structures like the Slow Tourism Lab or the Francophonies of Tourism Innovation create hybrid spaces where these actors truly communicate with each other. In concrete terms, this produces three effects. First, shared monitoring: we anticipate changes together (for example, the role of AI in tourism, climate change, flow management and new forms of mobility, etc.).
Next, collective experimentation: innovations tested locally can spread through networks. Finally, skills development: field professionals gain access to academic knowledge, and researchers are confronted with operational realities. In a sector where very small businesses represent 90% of French tourism companies, these ecosystems constitute an essential structuring lever that public policies should support more strongly.
Key skills for tomorrow's tourism professionals
Training and knowledge transfer play a central role in your career. What skills will become essential for tourism professionals by 2026?
Brice Duthion:
Yes, indeed, I was a teacher for almost 25 years, and I loved the transmission of knowledge, the mentoring, and the skills development. I was less enthusiastic about the weight, the cumbersome nature, and the inertia of the world of higher education.
Three skill sets seem essential by 2026. First, data literacy. With the widespread adoption of tourism CRMs, yield management tools, and predictive analytics, but of course, and especially, the widespread use of AI, every tourism professional must be able to interpret data, understand its limitations, and use it to make informed decisions. This is no longer a skill reserved for data scientists; it has become a fundamental skill.
Secondly, cultural and intercultural mediation, a taste for otherness. Faced with increasingly diverse clientele (Asian, Middle Eastern, nomadic millennials), knowing how to build a respectful and meaningful experience for very different profiles is a considerable added value.
Thirdly, the applied ecological transition. Not the theory, but the practice: calculating a carbon footprint, adapting offerings to climate constraints, communicating environmental commitments without greenwashing. These three combined skills define the tourism professional of tomorrow: analytical, humanistic, and responsible.
The role of B2B media in industry intelligence
At InfosTourisme.com, we are developing more analytical and collaborative B2B tools. How do you perceive this evolution towards this type of media?
Brice Duthion:
This is a development that I consider not only relevant, but necessary. The French tourism sector suffers from a real lack of accessible operational intelligence. Large operators have their own analytical tools; smaller organizations, tourist offices, and local stakeholders often operate without a clear plan.
A B2B media outlet that combines industry information, benchmarks, interactive reports, and career pages fulfills a strategic function: it democratizes access to data and analysis. What I particularly appreciate about this approach is its collaborative dimension. Tourism is built as an ecosystem; a media outlet that fosters peer-to-peer exchanges, connecting project leaders with experts, amplifies the sector's capacity for innovation.
Provided, of course, that high editorial standards and independence from commercial interests are maintained, this is what ensures the lasting credibility of such a tool in the eyes of demanding professionals. Beware of jargon and expert opinions; it's essential to remain accessible to the general public!
Three pillars for the tourism of tomorrow
If you had to summarize your ideal roadmap for the future of tourism, what would its three pillars be?
Brice Duthion:
My triptych can be summed up in three words: rootedness, measure and narrative.
First and foremost, rootedness: tourism that creates lasting value is tourism that originates from local areas, their own resources, and their communities. This implies abandoning tourism based on projection; projecting onto destinations what tourists want to see, and moving towards a tourism of expression, which empowers local areas to tell their true story.
Next, measurement: you can only manage what you measure. France has numerous tourism monitoring tools, which are still underutilized by those working on the ground. Generalizing a culture of evaluation, impact assessment, and accountability is essential for a professional, credible, and adaptable tourism sector. This is what I am working on with MKG as part of the creation of a tourist destination observatory (based on 15 comparable criteria) which should help guide public policy.
Finally, a story: the journey doesn't begin at the train station or the airport; it begins in the imagination. Investing in storytelling, in cultural mediation, in "meaning-makers," creates the conditions for tourism that truly transforms those who experience it. The media are numerous, as are the channels. Podcasts are fantastic tools for knowledge and storytelling. For example, I'm beginning a collaboration with Webedia, a content producer, on tourism and travel topics. And if I put on my publishing hat, it allows me to think about vibrant collections based on human-centered narratives.
These three pillars are interconnected: without roots, there is no authentic story; without measurement, no improvement is possible.
