Shu Ha Ri

In martial arts, there’s a concept called Shu Ha Ri.
Three stages of mastery.
First you learn the rules. Then you break the rules. Finally, you create the rules.

I have no experience in martial arts. But I think these three steps are a good way to approach entrepreneurship. It’s not just about combat. It works as a lens for almost anything worth mastering including tourism.

I have used when helping entrepreneurs. Usually they are somewhere in the first stage, sometimes in the second when we start.

Shu.
We start by learning in the old way, in many ways copying what came before.
Hotels. Package tours. Familiar systems.
We learn the playbook, and we follow it. Safe. Predictable. Necessary. Because you can’t skip the foundation.

Ha.
Then comes the break.
We ask harder questions: Is mass tourism sustainable? Are we helping the places we visit, or just extracting from them?
We experiment. We create eco-tourism, digital detox, regenerative journeys. We do the opposite. What is true, that no one thinks is true?
This is the stage where we stop chasing only profit and start paying attention to impact.

Ri.
Now, we reimagine.
Beyond innovation, into creation.
We leave behind the extractive models. We partner with the planet.
Tourism is no longer about taking. It’s about giving back.
It’s about journeys that enrich communities, restore ecosystems, and connect people in ways that matter.

Shu. Ha. Ri.
Learn. Challenge. Create.
That’s how we transform tourism, not just for travelers, but for the planet, for people, and for the generations who come next.