The Travel Sector Has Ambitious Climate Aspirations. Can It Achieve Them?

A Pacific island nation is transitioning to the metaverse. Tuvalu, located between Hawaii and Australia, might become the world’s first digital country, relocating its land, landmarks, and culture to the cloud as approximately 12,000 residents face displacement.

By the century's end, the entire nation risks submersion due to climate change. In a recent video at the COP27 United Nations climate summit in Egypt, Tuvalu’s foreign minister Simon Kofe delivered a stark warning: “Without global awareness and commitment to our collective well-being, we may soon see others joining us online as their lands vanish.”

This raises an urgent question: Which beloved destinations and homes will be rendered uninhabitable or destroyed by climate-induced floods, storms, droughts, and wildfires in the future?

The recent COP27 talks in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, concluded with a significant promise for climate justice: a groundbreaking agreement to create a “loss and damage” fund to assist developing nations grappling with climate disasters exacerbated by the historical emissions of wealthier countries. This initiative aims to address the plight of nations like Tuvalu, whose carbon emissions, along with all Pacific Islands, constitute less than 0.03 percent of global totals, yet face catastrophic climate impacts. Similarly, Pakistan, responsible for only 1 percent of worldwide emissions, experienced severe floods in 2022 that resulted in over 1,700 fatalities and displaced 33 million people.

The Reckoning: The Urgent Climate Crisis in Tourism

Is there a possible scenario where we can alleviate climate catastrophes? The travel sector has a critical role, being accountable for 8% of carbon emissions—predominantly from transportation. Fortunately, the industry has been proactive in this area, largely due to Jeremy Smith’s advocacy for climate initiatives. He is a co-founder of Tourism Declares a Climate Emergency, which calls on travel professionals to acknowledge their impact on the climate crisis and collaborate on effective solutions.

Smith, an advocate for sustainable travel, spearheaded Tourism Declares’ grassroots movement alongside co-founder Alex Narracott, CEO of Much Better Adventures. In 2021, he co-authored the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism with the UNWTO, expanding upon the framework set by Tourism Declares. Currently, he collaborates with the UNWTO and serves as the resident climate expert for the Travel Foundation, a global nonprofit dedicated to sustainable tourism, to advance the tourism sector's climate action goals.

Since the launch of the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism at COP26 last year, over 700 travel businesses, destinations, and organizations from 130 nations have endorsed the commitment. They pledge to significantly contribute to the objectives of the Paris Agreement: to cut their carbon emissions by 50% by 2030 and achieve net zero by 2050 at the latest.

The crucial challenge remains: how will the travel industry elevate its climate ambitions? At CO27, prominent tourism leaders engaged in key discussions focusing on mobilizing finance, establishing measurement frameworks, and transitioning to low-carbon, sustainable, and resilient tourism models.

“When I see the progress that has been achieved, I feel optimistic. However, the distance we still have to cover is what gives me pause,” remarks Smith.

Is Achieving Net-Zero in Tourism Feasible?

The travel sector is making strides to reduce its emissions, but will it suffice? To approach a 50% reduction in emissions by the end of this decade, the tourism industry must innovate and accelerate its efforts, necessitating immediate and decisive action, as highlighted in the Envisioning Tourism in 2030 report released by the Travel Foundation.

Key insights from the study, launched in conjunction with COP27, reveal there’s only one path for tourism to achieve its climate net-zero objective, given the industry’s current direction—and the existing strategies are “alarmingly insufficient.” This singular scenario demands trillion-dollar investments in every available decarbonization approach, along with travelers favoring low-emission travel options like trains and roadways.

“Adapt or perish” is a mantra often voiced by Jeremy Sampson, the CEO of the Travel Foundation, during the COVID crisis, and it rings true for the climate emergency as well. Sampson hopes the findings will spur collective action: “We must leverage every resource at our disposal to tackle [the climate crisis], which will require a globally synchronized effort,” he asserts. “Imagine knowing a pandemic was coming in five years and having the chance to innovate in preparation?”

Travel Industry Leaders Join Forces Against Climate Change

A globally unified approach embodies the mission of the nonprofit Travalyst, an honoree of the Dinogo 2022 Vanguard, formed by some of the most prominent figures in travel, including Booking.com, Expedia Group, Tripadvisor, Google, Skyscanner, Visa, and others. The organization equips travelers with clear, consistent guidance to empower sustainable choices when planning their trips. Travalyst’s CEO Sally Davey participated in a sustainable travel panel at COP27, discussing how technology and collaboration are vital in addressing the challenges ahead.

In 2019, Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, established the coalition and remains actively engaged. Travalyst's mission is to gather and disseminate verified sustainability data on a global scale with transparency—and to transition to open-access in the next phase.

“We act as both the catalyst and the facilitator, enabling essential players in the travel sector to collaborate in a non-competitive manner towards a shared objective that will positively transform the impact of travel,” states Tess Longfield, Travalyst’s chief marketing officer.

Removing the competitive aspect from climate initiatives is also advocated by another Dinogo Vanguard honoree: Intrepid. It became the world's largest carbon-neutral travel company in 2010 and was a founding signatory of Tourism Declares in 2020. With in-house climate scientist Dr. Susanne Etti, Intrepid became the first global tour operator to set verified science-based targets, sharing a roadmap for decarbonization on its website for other travel enterprises. Intrepid has substituted internal flights with rail and driving for some tours, introduced “closer-to-home” walking and cycling trips, and now features at least one plant-based option on all of its food-focused tours.

Eco-Friendly Accommodations

During COP27, hotel group Iberostar made the most ambitious commitment to date in the accommodation sector, pledging to achieve net zero across all its 100-plus predominantly beachfront properties, from the Dominican Republic to Mallorca, by 2030—20 years ahead of the industry's general commitment.

Iberostar is also targeting zero waste by 2025 and has recently implemented a program utilizing Winnow technology, which enables more precise tracking of food usage in kitchens. Their aim is to cut food waste by 50% in the first year alone. This initiative is expected to save 5 million meals and eliminate nearly 8,000 tons of CO2 emissions annually.

Climate action isn't solely driven by royal-backed coalitions and major travel players. According to Smith, Tourism Declares started with nothing more than a Twitter account. Additionally, smaller companies like Regenerative Travel, a network of hotels focused on environmental and social impact, exemplify grassroots movements uniting the industry. Regenerative Travel emphasizes practical solutions, education, and resources to advance the industry while empowering travelers to make informed choices.

Regenerative Travel brought together emerging climate leaders at its Climate Retreat post-COP27, featuring Sophia Li, a journalist, UN Human Rights Champion, and “climate optimist,” dedicated to making climate change issues more accessible. “While the industry must concentrate on reduction, travelers also need to advocate for change by posing critical questions about the hotels they select and the operators providing their experiences,” says Amanda Ho, the group’s co-founder.

The Age of Climate-Conscious Travel

Travelers often witness firsthand the stakes involved in the climate crisis—and also the potential for change when we step outside our daily lives. Shivya Nath, a travel writer and sustainable tourism advisor, founded the social-impact consultancy Climate Conscious Travel after visiting Chile’s Queulat Glacier this spring, where she discovered that Patagonia's glaciers are melting at some of the fastest rates globally due to climate change.

During her glacier tour, Nath recognized a missed opportunity: a captive audience experiencing the realities of climate change without any discussion. Just months after her visit, a significant portion of the glacier collapsed as a result of a heat wave.

“Research indicates that when individuals confront [the impacts of climate change], they can connect personally, making them more likely to take action,” says Nath, who consults for travel companies (such as Vegan Travel Asia, which plans its first carbon-neutral trip in Cambodia this December) on how to incorporate climate awareness and education throughout their travel experiences.

Travel Companies at the Forefront of Climate Action

Nath, who grew up at the foot of the Indian Himalayas and now resides in Goa, champions community-based offsets (initiatives that support local populations) to tackle the carbon challenges of tourism. A notable example is the tour operator Global Himalayan Expedition (GHE), which has been delivering solar energy to remote Indian villages through climate-positive trips since 2014. Rather than focusing on conquering peaks like Everest, their expeditions aim to provide clean energy access to isolated Himalayan communities. GHE was honored with the UN’s 2020 Climate Action Award at COP26, becoming the first tour operator to receive this recognition.

The impact of GHE is remarkable: they have solar-powered over 205 villages and established 34 of the world’s first carbon-neutral homestays in Ladakh. In 2022, they welcomed 1,400 travelers and offset 102 tons of CO2 from these homestays, while implementing more than 30,000 clean cookstoves in local communities. For 2023, they plan to launch six Climate Action expeditions aimed at electrifying six remote villages in the Himalayas while maintaining carbon-negative operations.

Numerous other tour operators are assisting travelers in making more environmentally friendly choices. The Wilderness Group, which aspires to achieve net-zero status by the end of 2030, carbon labels all its trips to indicate the amount of carbon emissions associated with each. Wilderness Scotland has recently introduced its first low-carbon offering, utilizing electric-powered transport (both cars and ebikes) and featuring one of Scotland's lowest-carbon accommodations, the Lovat.

Say Hueque, Argentina's first tour operator to offset 100 percent of its emissions, has launched a new initiative called “Plan to Plant,” committing to plant 20,000 trees—equivalent to 70 soccer fields—in Patagonia by August 1, 2023, which is celebrated as Pachamama Day or “Mother Earth Day.” The adventure travel company has already planted 5,194 trees in fire-affected forests in Patagonia.

Byway is an innovative travel company offering fully flight-free multi-stop journeys across Europe. Their customized itineraries utilize trains, boats, and buses—such as a sleeper train holiday through the picturesque Swiss Alps.

Destinations Are Contributing Too

The first climate-negative country in the world may come as a surprise—it’s not found in the sustainability-centric Nordics. Bhutan, a small landlocked nation in the Himalayas, was the first country to absorb more carbon than it emits. This last Buddhist kingdom utilizes free hydroelectric power in place of fossil fuels, and its constitution mandates that at least 60 percent of its land remains forested. In September, Bhutan reopened its borders along the newly restored Trans Bhutan Trail, a historic 250-mile pilgrimage route that takes visitors off the beaten path, channeling tourism revenue into remote rural communities through experiences like G Adventures’ Trans Bhutan Trek. Bhutan’s tourism model, which emphasizes “high value, low impact,” now includes a new $200 USD “sustainable development fee” to help mitigate the carbon footprint of visitors.

Meanwhile, Norway is working to bring sustainability to its waterways. By 2026, the fjords of western Norway will permit only zero-emission electric ferries, cruise ships, and tourist vessels. Hurtigruten, the Norwegian cruise line that introduced the world’s first battery-hybrid expedition ship in 2019, plans to launch its first zero-emission vessel along the Norwegian coast by 2030.

Panama is among the other three countries to first enter the carbon-negative club (with Suriname being the third); 68 percent of its land is covered by forests, with about 35 percent located in indigenous territories. Panama is also creating Central America’s first “green” bus route, providing electric public transportation for both tourists and locals in Casco Viejo, the historic UNESCO World Heritage district of Panama City.

Mitigating Carbon—And Ensuring Your Travel Has an Impact

The tourism sector faces a significant challenge in achieving its climate goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. Christina Beckmann, co-founder of Tomorrow’s Air, a travel collective focused on climate education and carbon removal, stresses the importance of supporting carbon removal technologies now, as mere reductions will not be sufficient to avert the most severe effects of climate change.

“Even if all emissions ceased today, we must address the legacy of CO2,” Beckmann explains. “The travel industry is rightly prioritizing emissions reductions, but it must also recognize that reductions alone cannot restore our climate; we need removals.” Tomorrow’s Air empowers travelers to take immediate action by funding carbon removal through a one-time purchase or a monthly subscription.

Sampson emphasizes the importance of making your travels impactful. “How can I utilize my carbon budget more effectively? Ensuring your trips have significance is a crucial point for travelers, businesses, and destinations to find common ground.”

And why should we discard the bucket list mentality? It poses significant issues, not just for creating meaningful experiences but also for combating climate change. Instead of accumulating miles, Smith encourages travelers to stay longer and engage more deeply. This approach is not only more beneficial for the environment but also fosters connections and enriches the world around us.

As Smith points out, “The belief that traveling further guarantees a better holiday or a superior experience is simply a misconception.”