The Tourism Declares a Climate Emergency initiative to support climate action has become the flagship programme of the Travel Foundation.
The Travel Foundation will use the Cop26 Climate Summit to also unveil its role in providing ongoing support for a newly-launched Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism, working in collaboration with the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO).
Both announcements place the tourism NGO at the forefront of efforts to ensure tourism businesses and destinations can rapidly decarbonise, adapt to climate change and support ecosystem regeneration.
The Travel Foundation and UNWTO are now pursuing “high-impact” partnerships to accelerate the aims of the Tourism Declares initiative and the ambitions of the Glasgow Declaration at the scale needed to meet global climate goals.
Confirmation of the Glasgow Declaration on November 4 is being touted as a “significant milestone” for climate action in tourism.
Tourism Declares a Climate Emergency co-founder Jeremy Smith said:“The Glasgow Declaration isn’t just a pledge – it is a commitment to take action to halve tourism’s emissions by 2030, and to report on progress made each year.
“It’s vital we start with the right ambition, but then the hard work really begins. Being part of the Travel Foundation allows us to take our efforts to the next level for global impact.”
Jeremy Sampson, chief executive of the Travel Foundation, added: “We know we must collaborate and scale-up like never before, connecting both ‘top-down’ and ‘bottom-up’ approaches by galvanising community action and creating levers for change across governments and corporations.
“Tourism’s transition to climate positive is also about tourism’s transformation more generally, shifting to a more equitable model that balances the needs of residents and businesses while managing and reducing its burden on destinations.”