A year in review for The Tenth Letter

As 2024 draws to a close, I am reflecting on a year shaped by local and global challenges, resilience, growth, and continued partnerships. Working across many Asia Pacific destinations and seeing meaningful progress has helped me to remain positive and committed to this impact journey we’ve been on the last 4 years.

For context, the tourism and events landscape across the Asia Pacific has faced its fair share of these challenges this year. In South-East Asia, despite there being a positive surge in support for sustainability, exploitation of natural resources and a heavy reliance on tourism continue to be a major concern. Many SEA destinations are economically dependent on fragile ecosystems which are experiencing increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. This will have a growing impact on tourism visitation if not managed with careful consideration.

Locally in Aotearoa, we have felt the effects of the interconnected global crises; inflation, supply chain disruption, climate change, and tightening economic conditions. The new coalition Government elected in late 2023 has adopted a ‘back-to-basics’ austerity approach which has resulted higher unemployment (1 in 20 people of working age now unemployed), and severed spending across the public sector. New legislation, aimed at fast-tracking infrastructure development has been considered a ‘war on nature’, and this will have a ripple effect for brand New Zealand. While this may be dismissed politically, New Zealand’s 100% Pure is under pressure to demonstrate how it stacks up against global counterparts who have been driving significant progress in sustainability, underpinned by increasing environmental protections.

Funding constraints within local councils has been felt heavily in the tourism and event sectors alike. This, at a time when innovative approaches to tourism and event funding are paramount. There has long been a disconnect between tourism’s social licence and the needs of local communities. Cutting back on tourism funding reduces the ability to make progress and work collaboratively with communities on how tourism can be a force for good.

The outlook feels gloomy with Tourism GDP in Aotearoa crawling back to 3.7%, the equivalent of 2014 levels. Tourism visitor numbers are rebounding but they still remain near 20% lower than pre-pandemic levels.

In the business events sector, international delegate numbers continue to remain sluggish with a reluctance towards long-haul business travel due to higher costs, economic uncertainty, and increased competitiveness within the Asia Pacific region.

However, there has been some positivity from the local sector with the newly launched strategy Pīata Mai developed by Business Events Industry Aotearoa; a national statement of strategic direction. It aims to amplify the sector’s positive impact on culture, society, the environment and economically through to 2035.

Despite the many challenges and pressures of 2024 and it all feeling a bit heavy, there are glimpses of hope.

Championing Impact in Asia Pacific

This year, much of my own work at The Tenth Letter has been focused internationally with my partner organisations: GDS-Movement and #MEET4IMPACT, where we have continued to drive sustainability and social impact initiatives.

Collaborating with destinations across the Asia Pacific for the GDS-Movement, I have worked to assess and support cities in strengthening their sustainability performance through the GDS-Index destination benchmark programme. Notably, contributions have included prioritising DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) as a core focus for destination strategies, particularly in Southeast Asia where there is a growing acceptance of more inclusive practices.

BESydney Social Impact Programme Development

Through my partnership with #MEET4IMPACT, I provided strategic support to help destinations unlock the social impact potential of business events. An absolute highlight has been working with BESydney for the last two years on developing and implementing their social impact strategy.

Legacy and impact have become integral to the future of the global business events sector. As such, it was wonderful to celebrate the #MEET4IMPACT’s Impact Day, held in Bruges in October. Impact initiatives, case studies, funding, and innovative approaches made for an inspiring day for those in attendance.

Supporting Aotearoa New Zealand’s Tourism Resilience

Closer to home, Aotearoa New Zealand’s tourism sector has endured considerable pressure this year, with funding cuts at a local council level having a detrimental impact on many Regional Tourism Organisations (RTOs).

I was proud to offer assistance to Hawke's Bay Tourism earlier this year, providing a public spoken submission to Hawkes Bay Regional Council, in support of continued funding for the regional tourism organisation. I felt a great sense of urgency to support a region, which had recently become my home that was working incredibly hard to rebuild and recover post-pandemic and post-cyclone Gabrielle. To cut funding to this organisation felt like a sucker-punch after everything they have endured, stifling growth and creating great uncertainty.

The positive from this; the 2024 funding allocation was secured, a happy win for those who submitted in support. However, the future still remains uncertain for Hawkes Bay Tourism with the regional council dropping support from mid-2025. Helping destinations like Hawke’s Bay focus on resilience and community-centered approaches to tourism will remain central to my future work.

Elevating Global Conversations on Sustainability

A highlight of 2024 has been the opportunity to share insights on sustainable tourism and events on global stages.

MICE Show Asia, October 2024

From PCMA Asia Pacific, The Meetings Show Asia Pacific, and ITB Asia in Singapore, where I have hosted sessions on regenerative travel, tourism, and business events, to contributing to thought leadership at the recent BEIA conference programme in Aotearoa New Zealand.

I have seen a growing appetite for meaningful keynote discussions on sustainability and actionable change in the tourism and business events sectors. Only five years ago, these conversations were the breakout or backroom session.

ITB Asia, October 2024

This year has brought me many opportunities to highlight the growing importance of sustainability in the meetings industry through contributions to several key publications. An article for Association Meetings International examined over-tourism and the critical role international business events play in both alleviating and exacerbating its pressures. The piece explored how adopting regenerative practices and engaging proactively with local communities can turn congress planning into a force for positive change, balancing immediate event impacts with long-term legacies.

Similarly, TTG Asia Show Daily featured insights shared during the ICCA Congress in Abu Dhabi, focusing on the evolution of sustainability in association meetings. This analysis emphasised the growing need to measure event impacts beyond economic metrics, incorporating environmental and social dimensions. It also highlighted the importance of empowering delegates to champion sustainability and building robust policies that guide events toward meaningful, measurable outcomes. Together, these contributions reflect the increasing alignment between sustainability initiatives and the strategic goals of the meetings sector.

Accessibility in Tourism

Accessibility also emerged as a cornerstone of my work this year, recognising that true inclusivity requires continuous learning and advocacy. Through a recent collaboration on Accessible Tourism with accessibility advocate Maioro Barton, I have (and want to continue!) amplifying the voices of those championing accessibility and inclusion, ensuring that these critical issues remain part of industry conversations.

Accessibility advocate Maioro Barton shared his experiences in the tourism sector

I have been delighted to see ‘accessible tourism influencers’ across social media, sharing their experiences (search any platform and you will find them). We have under-represented those with disabilities for too long. Now is the time to listen, learn, and give them a seat at the table. Expect to hear more from me on this in 2025.

Looking Ahead

Reflecting on the projects, challenges, and partnerships of 2024, I am deeply proud of the impact The Tenth Letter is making. Despite being a small business at the bottom of the world, I do feel like It has been a year of progress and purpose, navigating complex landscapes while staying true to our mission: advancing sustainability, impact, and community outcomes across tourism and events. Through it all, I have been privileged to play a role in advancing impactful discussions (and hopefully), a little positive change.

Looking ahead to 2025, I am excited to build on these foundations, embracing new opportunities to support destinations, the wider tourism and events ecosystem, and future changemakers.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who has shared this journey with us — here’s to another year of creating impact that matters.

Jessica V