The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) had a remarkable participation in the framework of activities of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP29), which took place in Baku, Azerbaijan from November 11 to 22.
For the first time, the travel and tourism sector had an official day on the agenda of the Conference, where the important role that this industry has in actions against climate change at a global level was addressed.
Led by Julia Simpson, President and CEO of the WTTC, the world organization explained to global leaders the challenges and opportunities to advance climate action within the travel and tourism sector.
Among her interventions, the President of the global organization presented the second edition of its Net Zero Roadmap for the sector, revealing that the number of global travel and tourism companies that set climate objectives has increased to 53% in the last three years, and more than half are committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. (GHG).
Also, during the COP29 Ocean Action Day, Julia Simpson raised the need for urgent climate investment in coastal and marine tourism to protect it from increasing climate risks.
"Protecting our coast and marine life is not only an environmental necessity, but also a social one. Reducing the environmental impact of coastal and marine tourism requires an investment of up to 65 billion dollars annually for direct emissions reduction, including climate mitigation and adaptation efforts," said Julia Simpson.
Accelerating action and investments could reduce GHG emissions by up to 35% and contribute to a resilient, nature-positive future with zero net emissions by 2050.
Also, Virginia Messina, Senior VP of the WTTC, was part of the High Level Roundtable of the Conference, where she discussed with experts and academics about various actions that are being carried out in the sector towards a sustainable transition.
Messina said that it is imperative to accelerate the pace at which these actions are implemented in order to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and the goals of the Paris agreement, as well as to establish short and medium-term objectives to accelerate this transition.
Gloria Fluxa, Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer of the Iberostar Group and Chair of the WTTC Sustainability Committee, said: "It is never too late to act to safeguard our industry, its people and the ecosystems on which we depend. Decarbonisation and adaptation are essential investments to build a resilient and nature-positive tourism model."
According to the latest ESR data, travel and tourism accounted for 6.5% of global emissions in 2023, up from a peak of 7.8% in 2019, representing a 10.2% reduction in the sector's greenhouse gas intensity, showing the sector's significant progress towards decoupling emissions growth.
While the global travel and tourism sector is making progress, the world tourism body is urging governments to provide more incentives and subsidies to businesses to ensure that the climate agenda's goals towards zero emissions are met.
Source: WTTC.