SINGAPORE -- The TravMedia Summit Asia 2022 brought together some 150 tourism brands, travel writers, influencers and journalists from across the Asia-Pacific region, to network and develop new insights and ideas on tourism, on Oct. 17, at Swissotel the Stamford, in Singapore.

Presented in partnership with Tourism Australia, the summit was held on the first day of the two-day event of International Media Marketplace, a media networking event for the travel industry.

"We are proud to bring together some best operators in tourism and the media to share their expertise and discuss new trends and tips as we build a better travel industry together," said TravMedia founder and CEO Nick Wayland. "The TravMedia Summit is our way to help industry members to collectively sharing insights, examples and best practices."

The summit delved into key topics in the industry as it struggles to bounce back following the COVID-19 pandemic amid labor shortages and concerns for sustainable development.

The rapidly changing media landscape also stimulated talks on how and what essential factors drive travelers to explore the world today.

Keynote speaker Gary Bowerman, an Asia travel analyst, in his lecture titled "Rethinking the Travel and Lifestyle Economy," said, "Most travel industries today still quantify and evaluate impact based on number of inbound visitors, but there are new and alternative ways to read the tourism market's potential." The speaker emphasized that travel has become a lifestyle and an integral part of our normal life with the advancement of technology, which should now be looked at from diverse sectors.

Choy Teh, a leader in sustainable tourism at the Promotion Bureau of Monaco, led a thought-provoking panel discussing what brands can do to protect people and the planet. She was joined by: Lilit Marcus, editor at CNN Travel; Mark Olsen, CEO of Tourism Tropical North Queensland; Penny Rafferty, executive chair of Luxury Lodges of Australia; and Angelique Teo, a radio personality.

The speakers mostly agreed that "greenwashing" -- dubious claims of environmentalism -- is not a band-aid solution that leads to bigger problems. Rather, the concept allows people to become aware of issues concerning sustainability. Setting up a bigger context at a permanent level for conscious travelers is an effort that needs to be made alongside many different levels of sustainable travel.