50 episodes of The Tourism Reset and we're marking the milestone with a big topic and a very special guest.

My guest today, Gopinath Parayil has spent over 20 years asking one question: how do we create a better place to live? He's the founder of travel company Blue Yonder, an award winning travel company founded in 2004 in Kerala India.

His business and team have been first responders across major climate disasters for over two decades - the Kerala floods, the Nepal earthquake, and Cyclone Aila.

"It's high time that this $10 trillion humanitarian potential of tourism industry is unleashed." Gopi

As disasters hit more destinations, more often, Gopi's case is simple: this isn't a problem that's going away. It's a direct threat to business continuity, wherever you operate. And it's not just about responding once disaster strikes - Gopi argues tourism has a role to play at every stage: mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery.

This conversation is about what that actually looks like on the ground, what agency means in practice, and why tourism's $10 trillion economy might be the most underused resource in building resilience today.

Here's what stayed with me long after this conversation

🌍 Why a dying river and the loss of his father became the starting point for a completely different way of building and running a travel business

🌍 How a village of flood-damaged saris became a doll, a global movement, and $132,000 raised - without a single cent of it being donated and why that matters

🌍 Why Gopi's team trained 1,500 people to swim - and how it became part of a wider disaster-response system

Episode 50 is powered by Tiger Mountain Pokhara (Nepal), one of The Tourism Reset's partners helping keep expert-led insights and solutions open access for all, zero barriers for travel pros and business owners around the world to get in the know.

Find out more about Blue Yonder here.

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25 Antarctic tour guides walked away from careers they'd spent years earning, and a place they loved. Not because the work dried up. Not because they changed their minds. Because of what they witnessed on the ice.

My guest today, Dr. Elizabeth Cooper, set out to find out why people were choosing to leave the industry. What she uncovered is an inconvenient truth about Antarctic tourism - one that directly undercuts the ambassadorship narrative the industry relies on, exposes the self-governance, and reveals the realities of life for the species that call it home since tourism moved in.

Here's what stayed with me after this conversation...

🌍 The tipping points that made 25 Antarctic guides leave the tourism industry for good

🌍 The real cost of a trip to Antarctica & why the sustainability narrative doesn't hold up

🌍 What happened next when a guide flagged an endangered fish on the ship's menu

🌍 What Liz says real care looks like - and why it has nothing to do with visiting at all

Liz's book recommendation - 'Slow down or die' by Timothée Parrique.

To find out more about the research mentioned in this episode visit Science Direct - search 'Mind the gaps: The moral journey of tour guides who quit' or click here.

Enjoyed this episode? Explore 40+ Masterclasses from the industry's leading minds and discover stories often missing within the industry over at thetourismreset.com. On-demand. Accessible for All.

Migration. Present in the places and destinations tourism operates in and sends travellers to. Tourism relies on the idea of freedom of movement - so what happens when those two worlds collide?

This story began as one man's dream to cross what he calls "one of the last remaining wildernesses." It became something else entirely. The story of a family's fight to survive.

My guest today is Rasmus Krath, a Danish filmmaker and adventurer who has spent his career in places most people won't go - from pirate territory in Somalia to conflict zones in Afghanistan.

In his latest film Rasmus spent six days filming a family crossing one of the world's most dangerous migration routes - crossing the notorious Darién Gap jungle, a vast area between Colombia and Panama.

Here's what stayed with me after this conversation...

🌍 Why Rasmus stopped traveling "to see places" & started traveling to bring back stories

🌍 His words: "Migrants travel, adventurers travel. So why not travel with migrants?"

🌍 Passport privilege and the missing impact opportunities for the tourism industry

🌍 The moment tourism and migration sit side by side and what that contrast brings up

You can watch the trailer for the film on Vimeo or Youtube. Search 'WHO OWNS THE STORY OF MIGRATION? To support the film you can donate, follow Rasmus on Linkedin for the links.

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