A new coalition will accelerate tourism’s transition to net zero emissions, audiences at the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow heard yesterday, with leaders from major tourism destinations and organizations voicing their support to achieve a sustainable travel and tourism sector – and an industry that helps achieve a new reality where “the more we go on holiday, the better it is for the planet.”
The effort will be channeled through the Sustainable Tourism Global Center (STGC), a multi-country, multi-stakeholder coalition established to lead, accelerate, and track the tourism industry’s transition to net-zero, as well as drive action to protect nature and support communities.
The STGC aims to support people and the planet by reforming tourism’s contribution to climate change, in a bid to protect the environment and support those who need it most. It also aims to coalesce a highly fragmented global tourism industry where developing countries and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are most reliant on tourism for their economies. More than 40 million tourism businesses – or 80% of the whole industry – are small or medium sized.
The Center’s strategy will be shaped by a coalition of governments, international organizations, academia, multilateral and financing institutions and industry associations. Participants in phase one of the coalition are the UK, US, France, Japan, Germany, Kenya, Jamaica, Morocco, Spain, and Saudi Arabia – all countries that have prioritized climate, tourism and SMEs that will allow for synergies for the initiative.
Other leading organizations that will help to shape the Center and provide the services in phase one are WRI (World Resource Institute), UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change), UNEP (United Nations Environment Program), ICC (International Chamber of Commerce), WTTC (World Travel and Tourism Council), World Bank, and SYSTEMIQ, plus Harvard University, which will provide support to the STGC through research and capacity-building.
Other countries and organizations will be invited to join in phase two. In addition, a group of global experts in tourism and climate is being assembled to support the effort.
The Center, to be headquartered in Saudi Arabia with plans to open regional offices in other countries, will deliver services and products across three core pillars: knowledge creation and sharing, measurement and monitoring, and industry enablement. Across these pillars, the STGC will focus on at least in nine areas of industry support, including developing standards and resource provision for the tourism sector, capability building, and project funding and investment.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has shown the world the interconnectedness of humanity and nature, and the fragility of communities dependent on tourism to external shocks,” said Saudi tourism minister Ahmed Al Khateeb. “We must act now to make the industry and local communities far more resilient and to help solve the challenge of climate change. That requires engaging with business, governments, and international organizations to accelerate action. Saudi Arabia is committed to contributing to this critical effort.”
Former WTTC president and CEO, and special advisor to Khateeb, Gloria Guevara added, “The tourism sector has been through so much throughout this pandemic and combined with the urgency of a response to climate change, it needs a global solution.
“SMEs in our sector – like a travel agency or tour operator – might not know their carbon footprint and how to contribute to the race to zero (but) every time we go on holiday, we create jobs and reduce poverty. It would be great if we reach a point that the more we go on holiday, the better it is for the planet. The multi-country, multi-stakeholder coalition will bring tourism’s fragmented stakeholders together and provide knowledge to drive action now.”
“Climate action offers a win-win opportunity to recover economies, communities and countries in a sustainable and climate friendly fashion,” concluded the UN’s Niclas Svenningsen.