The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) says the second edition of its Net Zero Roadmap is a “call to action” for every business in the sector.
This second edition of the roadmap “underscores the urgency of climate action” as the sector works towards net zero by 2050, said the WTTC.
Launched today (November 20) at Cop29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, it builds on the original roadmap launched in 2021 at Cop26 in Glasgow.
Developed with Accenture, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), and Azerbaijan’s state tourism agency, the roadmap reveals that 53% of the 250 leading travel and tourism businesses analysed have now set climate targets, up from 42% in 2021.
Among these businesses, one third have committed to Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi).
Julia Simpson, WTTC president and chief executive, said: “The urgency of climate action in our sector has never been clearer. Climate change is not a future threat – it’s here, and we are all facing the consequences.
“This updated roadmap is a call to action for every business in travel and tourism. The sector is moving forward; but we mustn’t rest on the laurels.
“We must work together with greater ambition and urgency to create a sustainable future for travel and tourism. Every step counts towards preserving our planet and the livelihoods of millions.”
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The roadmap features new target corridors to guide travel and tourism businesses in setting “ambitious, actionable” climate targets.
It also draws on WTTC’s Environmental & Social Research (ESR), which reveals a significant decrease in travel and tourism’s carbon emissions footprint.
Jesko-Philipp Neuenburg, Accenture’s global travel and aviation sustainability lead, added: “Global travel companies have made good progress on emissions targets and measurement.
“The second edition of the roadmap underscores the importance of moving from commitments to actions and provides pragmatic advice on how to work towards decarbonisation of the travel and tourism sector.”
Niclas Svenningsen, programmes coordination manager at the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), said: “Since the first edition of this report was published, the world has experienced a continued out-of-control climate change with new heat records set across the entire planet.
“The impact has been devastating, not least in the tourism industry where many destinations have not only been negatively impacted, but in some cases the impact has been enormous.
“In a world where business-as-usual for travel and tourism is no longer an option, acting on the pathways and target corridors presented in this report, is the only way it can maintain its license to operate.”
Kanan Gasimov, cabinet head at Azerbaijan’s state tourism agency, said: “This roadmap serves as both an actionable guide and a vision-setting tool for the industry, helping us set ambitious goals while providing clear steps to reduce emissions across all tourism subsectors, from accommodation to aviation.”
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