Over the past 70 years, travel and tourism has enjoyed immense success. By driving economic growth, shaping communities and connecting people worldwide, the sector has unlocked countless social benefits. But its success has come at a heavy cost to climate, nature and many host communities. The current model is unsustainable.
Better Travel & Tourism, Better World, a report for the Sustainable Tourism Global Centre, offers ‘a roadmap to net positive’: the first-ever global, fully-costed strategy for the whole travel and tourism industry.
The travel and tourism (T&T) sector occupies a huge place in our world. The pre-pandemic industry employed over 330 million people; its revenues remain a major source of funding to preserve and regenerate nature and our cultural heritage
However, the sector is also a source of the global greenhouse gas emissions that are driving the climate crisis: without concerted action to address them, T&T emissions will rise by more than 20% to 6.2 gigatonnes of CO2eq by 2030, around one-third of the total global carbon budget for that year. In turn, the climate crisis poses a serious threat to the industry: increasingly frequent storms, extreme heat and rising sea levels are already incurring devastating costs for destinations.
Taking the right action now has every chance of delivering a better future for all T&T stakeholders. The new report envisages a world where the global industry uses its diversity and reach to catalyse action on climate, restoring nature, creating decent jobs and economic opportunities for local communities, reducing income inequalities within and between countries, and facilitating meaningful and fruitful exchange for all types of traveller. It articulates how T&T’s role in post-covid-19 recovery can be used to abate GHG emissions and the systems it interconnects with, making it a key strategy in achieving countries’ nationally defined contributions on climate performance. It sets out how the transition can be financed, and it identifies concrete actions for policymakers and the private sector.
Creating a joined-up agenda
Progress is already underway. Industry actors have begun to take vital steps towards a more sustainable sector. Net-zero pathways have been developed for many sub-sectors that make up the T&T industry, including transport, hospitality, food, buildings and energy providers. But change is not happening at the scale needed. Collaboration across sub-sectors and geographies will be key to unlocking greater gains for climate, nature and communities.
Planet-positive travel & tourism?
The challenges are substantial, but a better future is within reach
In a BAU scenario, T&T could account for 1/3 of the Earth’s carbon budget by 2030
Travel and tourism represent 10% of global GDP
But for some countries, the sector represents 70% of GDP
A Better Travel & Tourism scenario could reduce emissions by 40%
Between $220-310bn investment is needed to unlock the transition
report endorsements
