Explore All Summits & Key Focus Areas
Welcome to the Travel Unity Summit Archive. Since our inaugural gatherings, Travel Unity has brought together tourism professionals, economic development leaders, community advocates, and youth to reshape the travel and hospitality industries through the lens of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).
What started as a regional forum in Upstate New York has evolved into a national movement. Over the years, our summits have served as the testing grounds for groundbreaking ideas—from the initial framing of DEI as a regional economic driver to the launch of our official DEI Standards for Travel & Tourism. Whether navigating the digital pivot of a global pandemic or embedding framework certifications directly into regional tourism pipelines, each year represents a distinct chapter in our ongoing mission to help destinations become truly world-class by learning how to welcome all.
Explore our past summits below to see the timelines, key contributors, and structural shifts that continue to guide the future of inclusive travel.
Travel Unity is accepting Expressions of Interest (EOIs) from destinations and organizations anywhere in the world interested in hosting a Regional Summit in 2027 or beyond. The EOI is a short, exploratory first step that creates no commitment. A detailed venue proposal, budget, or confirmed partner commitments are not needed at this stage.
Fall 2027: Submit an EOI by November 13, 2026. Selected organizations are expected to receive the full RFP by November 20, with proposals due January 8, 2027 and host selections anticipated by January 29, 2027.
Spring 2027: The EOI deadline (September 18, 2026) has closed. Remaining RFP milestones apply only to organizations Travel Unity has invited: proposals due October 23, 2026 and host selections anticipated by November 13, 2026.
The 2027 host fee is $20,000 in the United States and Canada and $25,000 elsewhere. The fee does not include venue, food and beverage, Travel Unity travel and lodging, a required planning site visit for up to three Travel Unity representatives, or other local hosting costs. Selected hosts must also be Travel Unity Alliance organizational members. The Host Requirements list every commitment.
Focus: Building Global Alliances
Impact: Institutionalizing DEI Scorecards
Regions: National and Local Tourism Impact
Cohorts: Advancing Inclusive Travel Leadership
Exploring how local businesses and hospitality leaders in New York State and the Adirondacks can drive sustainable growth by attracting international, accessibility, and millennial markets through empathetic marketing, ecotourism, and collaborative Native cultural exchanges.
A sharp pivot toward the broader human aspect of travel sustainability, analyzing how geographic areas and organizations can systematically build environments that are genuinely welcoming to all individuals.
Reframing the future of travel by moving past traditional models to focus on mid- and post-COVID sustainability, LGBTQ+ and trans travel experiences, vocational rehabilitation partnerships, and integrating equity directly into the tourism supply chain.
Focused on how the New York State travel industry is addressing DEI, this summit translated high-level commitments into actionable plans and regional case studies, with a deep dive into what it truly means to be welcomed and welcoming.
Focused on regional travel initiatives across Boston, the Finger Lakes, and the broader Northeast, this summit explored authentic representation versus performative marketing, workforce recruitment and retention strategies, and structural tools to embed DEI directly into organizational foundations.
Bringing together tourism and development professionals to explore practical frameworks for diverse marketing, multi-generational workforce pipelines, and responsible community storytelling that makes regional destinations genuinely accessible.
Shifting focus from theories to the real, practical work of embedding diversity, equity, and inclusion directly into strategic management, operational execution, and community impact.
Industry leaders gather to discuss actionable ways to embed DEI into strategic planning, workforce development, and honest community storytelling, while navigating accessible travel and shifting government policies.
A series of dialogues celebrating industry progress while honestly examining how far we still have to go toward achieving true freedom and belonging for all.
The Travel Unity Summit series spans a diverse global footprint, moving intentionally between physical, hybrid, and fully virtual environments. By shifting host destinations over the years—ranging from scenic, nature-focused rural communities to major urban metropolises and expansive digital spaces—the summit series highlights a core truth: accessibility, equity, and inclusion are vital across all landscapes. Each setting, whether a physical region or an online forum, provides a unique lens to explore how the travel and tourism industry can build lasting communities of belonging.
From the outdoor-recreation corridors of Upstate New York to emerging regional tourism hubs across the country, our physical host destinations ground our work in local communities. These summits allow delegates to audit real-world infrastructure, support local heritage, and tackle unique rural and urban destination stewardship challenges firsthand.
Open discussions centered around regional diversity demographics and tourism accessibility.
Hands-on sessions focused on short-term, actionable solutions for local destination marketing organizations (DMOs).
Interactive conversations between local, leaders, tourism organizations and attendees to spark ongoing inclusive travel movements.
Explore the individual event pages to see recordings, speakers, and resources.
