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Can the holiday industry regain its place in the sun?
Major series of articles in Ethical Corporation asks the big question
Amid over-tourism accusations and growing concern about climate impacts, Ethical Corporation looked at sustainability efforts in the cruise, hotels and airlines industries.
In the light of the latest UNWTO figures – international tourism up to 1.4 billion a year (which indicates a total tourism – domestic and international of a staggering nearly 9 billion visits) – and growing at a minimum of 4% per annum – doubling since 2000 we clearly have a destination capacity problem.
Plus Ethical Corporation reports, CO2 emissions from aviation are on course to grow by up to 700% by 2050, with even the most ardent environmentalist having difficulty kicking the flying habit.
The contradictions are particularly evident as the World Economic Forum kicks off in Davos, where top executives have reportedly chartered 1,500 private jet flights to fly into a fragile mountain landscape to talk about what they plan to do to tackle climate change – an 11% increase in such flights from last year.
Says Ethical Corp the cruise industry has been under fire because of the growing protests in European cities about over-tourism, and due to their contribution to pollution and CO2 emissions. In January a new €8 tax on "day-tripper" cruise passengers came into effect in Amsterdam, prompting two cruise lines, MSC Cruises and Cruise and Maritime Voyages, to cancel future stops in the city. Venice is also now applying a tax up to €10.
Ethical Corporation also highlights warnings from The International Tourism Partnership that for the hotels industry to be compliant with the Paris Agreement, it will have to cut its carbon emissions per room per year by 66% from 2010 levels by 2030, and 90% by 2050.
On top of all that – our oceans are under unprecedented stress. Ethical Corporation looks at a plethora of initiatives, including the just-launched Alliance to End Plastic Waste, new rules to cut shipping emissions, the UN Global Compact Action Platform for Sustainable Ocean Business, and the proposed expansion of the Natural Capital Protocol to include oceans.
Valere Tjolle
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