The Cop29 summit due angry reactions from some nations most hit by the climate crisis and was also plagued by withdrawals by some nations.
But Tui Group head of sustainability Ian Corbett insisted on stressing the progress underway in line with the existing Paris Agreement on climate, to which almost 200 countries have signed up.
Corbett told Travel Weekly in an interview to mark the publication’s annual sustainability issue: “There is enough evidence of progress being made to give continued cause for optimism, however difficult or depressing some of the news is.”
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He added: “Our focus is on action and working towards the targets we’ve set. We’re focused on 2030 because an awful lot needs to be done to get to our long-term goal of net zero by 2050 at the latest – sooner if we can. [But] we don’t think it’s helpful in terms of the urgency we need to see to be talking about 2050.
“It’s an ongoing process, guided by climate science, validated by the independent science-based target initiative (SBTi). It’s important for us to have that independent validation rather than targets we measure ourselves.”
Corbett insisted: “You have to see sustainability as an opportunity rather than a threat [and] recognise the progress because if you just look at the scale of the challenge, you’ll be exhausted before you take the first step.”
He added: “The more we can collaborate and work as an industry on finding solutions, the better. Ultimately, we can’t do it alone, and we’ll do it quicker if we collaborate. The prize is bigger than an individual company’s commercial performance.”
Corbett acknowledged: “There is always so much more you could be doing.”
But he said: “It’s important to share and celebrate the progress along the way rather than look at how far there still is to go.”
One aspect of the group’s collaboration is reflected in the Destination Co-Lab in Rhodes. Corbett explained: “Rhodes is heavily reliant on tourism, so together with the Greek government, the region and the Tui Care Foundation, we’re looking at solutions to make the island a beacon of sustainable transformation.”
Tui also aims to collaborate with destinations on managing tourism numbers, an issue of increasing importance around the Mediterranean.
Corbett said: “Nobody wants to see citizens moved to the point of protest.
“First, we’re guests, and we fully recognise that.
“Second, destinations have limits. It’s for people in destinations to decide how much tourism and what kind of tourism they want, and for us to work within those constraints.
“We’ve been partnering with destinations in some cases for 60-70 years. We have second and third-generation members of the same families working with us in destinations. So, we’re enormously invested in destinations and want to work in partnership with them.”
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