Sustainability should be embedded into travel packages as much as possible, agreed operators at a round-table hosted by Travel Weekly and Switzerland Tourism.
Hotelplan UK sustainability lead Krissy Roe was among those calling for progress in the industry.
She said: “I’d like to get to the point where we just have really good travel experiences and sustainability is embedded in that.”
More: Travel firms struggle with sustainability as customers ‘don’t understand’
Roe said sustainability “should be naturally part of how we do travel” and a consumption-driven mentality should be avoided. She added that local products and locally-run accommodation should be prioritised.
Intrepid Travel general manager Hazel McGuire agreed that sustainability must be a core element of any trip.
“Sustainability can’t be a competitive advantage any longer,” she said. “It has to be built into what we’re doing. We as an industry need to make these changes.”
The Travel Corporation’s sustainability manager, Lucie Dalila, said the touring brands specialist was currently trying to create its “first fully sustainable itinerary” and was assessing the sustainability credentials of all of its restaurant and transport partners.
“The majority of the public want sustainability if it’s easy, accessible and cheap and doesn’t require extra effort, so it’s all about integrating it into what we offer,” Dalila said.
A common theme of the discussion was the need for urgent collaboration to protect the environment. “If we still want to ski in 20 to 30 years’ time, we have to act now and act together,” said Switzerland Tourism director Alex Herrmann.
Roe pointed to snow melt, wildfires and drought as being among the most striking signs of climate change, adding that the industry must address the impact of climate migration.
“We need to look at how we can support the communities that are being affected,” she said.
“And we need to think about how we can act to be part of that need to reduce global emissions, but also how we can act at the local level.”