Tourism is vital to Cornwall.  It supports jobs, local businesses, and community life – yet it also places real pressure on fragile coastal landscapes and local infrastructure.  As visitor umbers grow, how can tourism continue to bring benefits without undermining the very places people come to enjoy?

In this engaging and accessible TREGTALK, Dr Anna Spenceley explores what sustainable and regenerative tourism really mean in practice, and what they could look like for communities like ours.  Drawing on her global experience – particularly wildlife tourism in Africa and Asia – Anna examines how travel can actively support nature recovery, strengthen communities, and protect cultural and environmental heritage.

The talk balances big-picture thinking with practical insights, inviting audiences to rethink what it means to be a visitor – shifting from passive consumption to meaningful connection.  There will be plenty of opportunity for questions and disucssion.

This talk is ideal for anyone who loves Cornwall, cares about the future of travel, or is simply curious about how tourism can become a genuine force for good.

About the speaker:  Anna is one of the world’s leading voices on sustainable tourism, with over 25 years’ international experience.  She is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and sits on the UN World Tourism Organisation’s Panel of Experts.  Her work has shaped landmark sustainable tourism guidance for organisation including IUCN, UNEP, UNDP, UNESCO, the European Commission and the World Bank.  She is currently editing the 2nd edition of the ‘Handbook for Sustainable Tourism Practitioners:  The Essential Toolbox’.  She has previously lived in South Africa, Rwanda, the Seychelles and Papua New Guinea, and has worked on assignments in 39 countries.  Now based in Cornwall with her family, she volunteers with local conservation groups, bringing global expertise to a topic that matters deeply at home.

Proceeds from tickets purchased for this event allocated to Anna will be donated to the Roseland Environment Action Community Team (REACT).

• Accessible venue

 Wednesday 29th April

Tickets: £10

2pm – 3pm

 Tregony Village Hall, Back Lane, Tregony, TR2 5RP

Find out more here