Tourism ministers and travel leaders are to set out a five-point commitment on the future sustainability of the industry at an event in Portugal this week.
The Evora Forum – A World for Travel will begin on Thursday and will be attended by more than two dozen ministers and government officials from a number of destinations in addition to academic leaders and speakers from the industry.
Organisers said the five commitments “will focus on sustainability from all perspectives including social, environmental, and economic” and would be reviewed at the next Evora Forum in 2022.
The industry’s current position on sustainability has been assessed based on 35 “position papers” from around the world and a report from consultancy firm Oliver Wyman.
Christian Delom, secretary general of A World for Travel, said: “We are just one week away from the first think-tank about sustainability in travel. We know important topics will be discussed and commitments generated that will have true impact.
“Our goal is that the development and announcement of five commitments will be adopted and implemented by tourism businesses and organisations around the world to ensure a more sustainable future for travel, while making changes to the impact of tourism.”
Speakers at the forum include Jamaica’s tourism minister Edmund Bartlett, France’s secretary of state for tourism Jean-Baptise Lemoyne, Spain’s secretary of state for tourism Fernando Valdès Verest and Ghada Shalaby, Egypt’s vice-minister for tourism and antiquities.
The event is being organised in partnership with the Global Travel and Tourism Resilience Council and limited places are still available.