Travel sector leaders are being urged to collaborate “with action at scale” to cut carbon emissions and ensure a fair deal for destinations building resilience to climate risk.
The call came from the Travel Foundation as part of its 20th anniversary celebrations, as the global NGO brought leaders together at a new office in Brussels to find new ways of working together.
New partnerships and initiatives have also been forged with Mastercard, Expedia and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States.
Travel FoundationChief executive Jeremy Sampson emphasised the urgency for collective action.
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He said: “Twenty years ago we were born from collaboration by the UK travel industry.
“Since then we have gone from strength to strength to become a truly global and independent organisation.
“We now need impact at scale – nothing less is good enough. So I call on the next generation of industry leaders to step forward and step up – you know that doing good work in silos won’t cut it. The system will only change, as it must, with collective action.”
The organisation’s UK office will be retained, and the Travel Foundation is also exploring options for a location in the US.
Renewed support from Expedia Group will see a free ‘climate champions’ training resource for destination marketing and management organisations (DMOs), available through Expedia’s online learning platform.
Expedia global social impact and sustainability vice president Aditi Mohapatra said: “Expedia Group is proud to be partnering with the Travel Foundation to launch an innovative capacity building program on climate and sustainability for destinations around the world. Together we can create a more resilient and prosperous travel industry for generations to come.”
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