The tourism industry may soon have a new way to measure its positive impact following the introduction of the "Love Footprint in Destination" metric at the XI International Scientific-Professional Congress on Cultural Tourism. Developed by Dr. Ana Mafé García, president of the International Association Cultural Itinerary The Way of the Holy Grail in Europe:https://elcaminodelsantogrial.eu/, this innovative approach allows for the evaluation of travelers' ethical, supportive, and transformative contributions to destinations, mirroring how carbon footprints are quantified.
The concept was presented alongside the World Network of Solidarity, Smart, Regenerative and Circular Routes developed by Dr. Fernando Molina Pons. Both proposals received exceptional reception from the international scientific and academic community at the congress, which has established itself as a global benchmark through its eleven editions, as detailed on the official congress website:https://www.congresointernacionalturismoculturalcitc.com/.
The Global Network of Solidarity, Smart, Regenerative, and Circular Routes proposes a global itinerary model that integrates heritage, sustainability, technological innovation, and solidarity. Under this vision, tourists become solidarity travelers capable of leaving a positive mark on destinations beyond mere economic impact. Dr. Mafé García emphasized during her presentation that "We need tourism with a purpose, capable of leaving a footprint of love at the destination, at the same level as we measure the CO₂ footprint."
The implementation of this academic vision is articulated within the fractal structure of the World Wide Web through the RegenEra Tur IA CUBE model. This model already has notable support in the DTI CUBES of Benidorm, Altea and La Nucía, scheduled for launch on September 12, as well as in the RUTA CUBES, which integrates pioneering initiatives such as The Way of the Holy Grail from Masamagrell and the Biosilk Route in Buñol. The CUBES are emerging as new levers for accelerating the transition toward regenerative and circular tourism.
The International Scientific Commission for the Study of the Holy Grail:https://comisioncientificainternacionaldeestudiosdelsantogrial.com/ was represented at the congress by Dr. Amada Torres González and Dr. Katya Meredith García Quevedo. The congress also featured support from cultural programs such as those run by Ms. Esther Santillana Reinoso at the Losan Clinical Optical Center:https://opticaclinicalosan.es/servicios-optica-valencia/ through their #verysentirlacultura initiative.
The brilliant reception at the congress demonstrates that the future of tourism lies in integrating regenerative and supportive metrics while consolidating innovative governance models. These contributions represent international milestones destined to transform how we understand and practice tourism in the 21st century, moving beyond traditional economic measurements to capture the full social, cultural, and environmental value that travelers can bring to destinations worldwide.
