Why Sustainable Tourism Matters

Tourism, if not well managed, can cause permanent damage to historic sites, communities and the environment. This is happening in popular tourist destinations the world over – from the city of canals in Venice to the cruise ports of Barcelona. And locals are starting to wonder if the throngs of visitors to their hometowns are doing more harm to the environment and cultural assets than as a vehicle for development.

Destinations particularly dependent on the availability of natural resources and already suffering from pollution can increase this concern. According to a report published by Transport and Environment, the cruise ships docking in Barcelona emit five times more sulfur oxide (SOx) than the entire city’s 560,000 cars every year. The same is happening in southern France in Cannes, one of the world’s most famous ports of call, with authorities vowing they will no longer welcome cruises unless they comply with strict pollution controls. Increased awareness of climate change and environmental impacts have also resulted in movements such as the Greta Thunberg-led global climate strike and the Swedish concept of flygskam (flight shame) that is making more people rethink their ways of how they travel. As a consequence of the increasing demand for sustainable tourism services and products, a number of platforms like Fairbooking, BookDifferent and GreenHotelsWorld have been developed, encouraging travelers to have low-impact travel and opt for more sustainable travel options.

Tourism accounts for an estimated 5% of global carbon emissions and the United Nations World Tourism Organization predicts that international tourist arrivals will continue to grow, increasing from 1.1 billion in 2014 to 1.8 billion in 2030. The UN Tourism in the Green Economy report states that under a business-as-usual scenario, tourism would generate through 2050 an increase of 154% in energy consumption, 131% in greenhouse gas emissions, 152% in water consumption and 251% in solid waste disposal.

This does not bode well for the tourism industry, or the planet for that matter, as no one wants to visit resorts with polluted beaches or hike in mountains littered with garbage and plastics. To turn things around, businesses should actively work to become the champions of sustainable tourism, taking responsibility for their current and future economic, social and environmental impacts. This will need to be complemented by concrete commitments and targets aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to drive the tourism sector towards a low-carbon and resource-efficient future. This will be particularly important for developing countries for which tourism is a key pillar of national development, especially in many small island developing states (SIDS) where tourism accounts for up to 25-60% of national GDP.

Despite the important role that tourism can play in climate change mitigation and adaptation, most developing countries do not specify the sector in their respective international commitments and plans. The UN Environment’s Transforming Tourism project is designed to address this issue by supporting the Dominican Republic, the Philippines, Mauritius and Saint Lucia to develop sustainable tourism policies that drives a low-carbon and resource-efficient operations in the sector. After two years of research and data collection in consultation with stakeholders of tourism value chains in these countries, key environmental hotspots have been identified and translated into national roadmaps that set clear goals for the tourism sector for 2030. These policies will support both the achievement of the SDGs and the targets identified by the Nationally Determined Contributions of the Paris Agreement for each country, and help the industry set clear targets to support a transformational shift for more sustainable business practices.

Working with businesses to integrate sustainability into tourism value chains is essential as it can result in a number of benefits for tour operators, suppliers, customers and destinations. Practices such as using energy-efficient appliances, procuring sustainable products, reducing waste and diversifying to biodiversity-friendly offerings – such as crowd management and nature-based tours – can not only help to reduce the amount resources consumed, but also increase profits. Many companies are also considering renewable energy sources when locating facilities or selecting suppliers, and international hotel chains, for example, have been keen on investing in green technologies that reduce consumption of natural resources and lower operating costs.

UN Environment estimates that with investment in high energy-efficiency equipment and appliances – refrigerators, air conditioners, fans and lighting – the 2,200 hotels in the Caribbean could reduce their current electricity use by 11%, eliminate 3.1 million tons of CO2 emissions and save US$ 700 million on electricity bills. There are many concrete examples of how companies in other parts of the world have benefited from reducing emissions and improving resource efficiency.

Shifting towards sustainable consumption and production patterns is not an option, but a need for tourism companies to stay in business. Such a shift requires the involvement of all stakeholders of the tourism value chain in order make sustainable products and services more available and accessible to guests. It seems that tourists are already one step ahead of companies in this journey, pushing harder than ever for more sustainable options when traveling. Now is the time for companies to heed the call.