Tourism Matters
Tourism Matters explores careers, capability and the people shaping the tourism industry. Host Carmen Bold speaks with professionals, leaders and educators from across the sector about how they built their careers, the lessons they’ve learned along the way, and where the industry is heading next. The podcast offers insight for anyone working in tourism, considering a career in the industry, or responsible for developing the next generation of talent.
Tourism Matters
Ged Brown: Low Season Travel, Overtourism and Rethinking When We Travel
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In this episode of Tourism Matters, join Carmen Bold as she chats with Ged Brown about his journey through the global travel industry and the idea that led him to found Low Season Traveler.
Ged shares insights from a career that spans tour operators, aviation, route development and industry events. The conversation explores how the concept of low season travel could help address overtourism, support destinations year-round and reshape how the tourism industry thinks about seasonality.
What you'll take away from this episode
• How Ged’s career evolved from tour operators into aviation and tourism strategy
• Why seasonality is one of the biggest challenges facing the tourism industry
• How low season travel can help reduce overtourism and support sustainable tourism
• The role of storytelling, media and industry platforms in influencing tourism change
• Why trusting your instincts and embracing every step of your career journey matters
About Ged
Ged Brown is the founder of Low Season Traveler, a global initiative encouraging travellers to explore destinations outside peak tourism periods. His work focuses on helping destinations manage seasonality, reduce overtourism and create more balanced tourism economies.
Ged’s career spans tour operators, aviation route development and international tourism events, giving him a unique perspective on how the global travel ecosystem operates.
Connect with Ged on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gedbrown/
Connect with Carmen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carmen-bold/
Since recording this episode, Ged has launched The Travel and Tourism Seasonality Blueprint containing everything he has learned since founding the low season travel movement, you can access it here: https://seasonalitysummit.com/the-tourism-seasonality-blueprint/
Organisations and industry references mentioned
Low Season Traveler: https://lowseasontraveller.com
Tourism Seasonality Summit: https://seasonalitysummit.com/
Routes Online: https://www.routesonline.com
Episode Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Ged Brown and his tourism career
03:00 Early career and discovering the travel industry
08:00 Working with major tour operators and managing global accounts
15:00 Industry changes and navigating redundancy in tourism
22:00 Moving into aviation and route development
33:00 Understanding airline, airport and destination relationships
42:00 Creating platforms and influencing tourism conversations
51:00 Managing rejection and building trust in global industry networks
60:00 Personal reflection and the spark behind Low Season Traveler
62:00 The concept of low season travel and tackling overtourism
67:00 COVID-19 and accelerating the mission
75:00 Building the Low Season Traveler brand and media platform
77:00 Launching the Tourism Seasonality Summit
80:00 Trusting instincts and embracing the steps along the way
82:00 Final reflections on the future of tourism