Linda Siliņa:
When researching my thesis, I found three main perspectives:
Which do you agree with most?
Andreas Koch:
Honestly, none of them fully capture it — but the third comes closest to how I feel about it.
Sustainability is a well-defined concept. It works with systems, indicators, and frameworks. It helps us operate within an established structure.
Regeneration is different. It’s not a concept — it’s a mindset.
It’s about asking a much more fundamental question:
How can we support life within the living systems we are part of?
From that perspective, regeneration doesn’t replace sustainability. It gives it depth. It anchors it emotionally in the principles of nature.
Sustainability is about what we do.
Regeneration is about how we feel.
Linda Siliņa:
That’s very insightful. But how does regenerative tourism work in practice?
Andreas Koch:
It starts with a shift in perspective.
Instead of asking:
How do we reduce negative impacts?
we ask:
How do we create conditions for life to thrive?
Let me give you an example.
Ben from the Hotel Luise redesigned rooms based on circular principles. Materials were chosen so they could return safely to nature. Waste was no longer part of the system.
But regeneration goes beyond physical design.
We also worked with the team’s energy in this hotel. For example, we changed how shifts were handed over. Instead of starting with problems, teams began by sharing what worked well. That simple shift changed the emotional atmosphere completely.
Because regeneration is not only about materials or emissions.
It’s about energy, relationships, and aliveness.
The key question is always:
Is the system more alive after the interaction?
Linda Siliņa:
And what about local communities? How can they be meaningfully involved?
Andreas Koch:
By truly listening.
In conventional tourism, residents are often excluded from decision-making. Regeneration takes a systemic approach — everyone in the ecosystem matters.
That includes residents, businesses, and even nature itself.
In one project, we brought together tourism stakeholders and local inhabitants and actors. We asked both groups separately about their needs — and then designed experiences together.
One result was a “forest night” for families. It responded to both sides:
– Visitors (and here families as main target group) wanted meaningful experiences
– Residents wanted that visitors respect nature as „their home“
By listening to the whole system, we created something that benefits everyone.
And here’s the key insight:
When people feel seen, they contribute. When they don’t, they resist.
Linda Siliņa:
Is this bottom-up approach realistic in practice?
Andreas Koch:
It’s indeed challenging.
We are used to hierarchical systems. But nature doesn’t work like that. Nature is based on relationships and interconnectedness.
Regeneration invites us to move from control to collaboration.
This requires unlearning. We’ve been trained to think in competition, efficiency, and linear outcomes. But living systems work differently.
The good news is:
Once the mindset shifts, change can happen very quickly.
Linda Siliņa:
What role does cross-sector collaboration play?
Andreas Koch:
A crucial one — but it always depends on the region.
Every place is like a unique ecosystem. We need to ask:
Who belongs to this system?
That could include tourism actors, farmers, cultural institutions, local communities — even representatives of nature.
Regeneration means bringing the right voices together and creating dialogue.
There is no universal blueprint.
Each region must find its own way.
Linda Siliņa:
Finally — what is, in your view, the deeper purpose of regeneration?
Andreas Koch:
At its core, regeneration is about remembering.
Remembering that we are part of nature — not separate from it.
Remembering that everything is connected.
Remembering what it means to feel alive.
If I had to express it simply:
Regeneration is about becoming guardians of life.
And maybe the most important question we can ask ourselves is:
Does this feel alive — for me, for others, and for the place I’m in?
