For the first time in the history of the summit, COP29 featured a Tourism Day, with a first-ever ministerial meeting dedicated to positioning tourism policy to support national climate goals. In Baku, public and private sector leaders recognised the major impact of climate change on the tourism sector and its contribution to greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, they highlighted the potential of tourism to actively foster climate adaptation and regeneration strategies. More than 700 stakeholders participated in Tourism Day events.
Governments united on climate action in tourism
The first ministerial meeting was chaired by Mr. Fuad Naghiyev, Chairman of the State Agency for Tourism of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and was attended by COP29 President HE Mr. Mukhtar Babayev, Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Azerbaijan, UN Tourism, UNEP and UNFCCC.
Both UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili and UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen highlighted the need for a scientific approach, referring to new and further developed studies from the University of Queensland (UN Tourism Affiliate Member) indicating that tourism accounts for 8.8% of global emissions (including direct and indirect emissions).
Addressing delegates, Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: "For the first time, the Programme of Action of the United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties has included tourism. The first-ever ministerial meeting on strengthening climate action on tourism marks a decisive milestone, when ambition turns into action, and vision transforms into commitment. At COP29, the global tourism sector made clear its commitment to a positive transformation to realize a better future for our planet."
The ministerial meeting brought together ten Ministers of Tourism: Azerbaijan, United Arab Emirates, Brazil, Belarus, Czech Republic, Iran, Montenegro, North Macedonia; two Ministers of Environment: Costa Rica and Maldives; five Deputy Ministers (Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, Tanzania, Türkiye, Uzbekistan) and the Special Envoy for the Climate Heritage Network and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Cultural Heritage, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Also in attendance were Secretaries of State from Moldova, Portugal, Zambia and Zimbabwe and delegates from Indonesia, Malaysia, Oman, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Qatar, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan and the United States of America. The Caribbean Tourism Organization and the Pacific Tourism Organization made statements on behalf of their members (Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Fiji, Nauru, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu). The World Travel and Tourism Council and the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance also took the floor and the International Transport Forum (OECD) shared a statement.
Following high-level discussions, 52 governments signed the COP29 Declaration on strengthening climate action in tourism.
Measurement, decarbonisation, adaptation, regeneration, finance and innovation
High-level roundtables brought together experts from academia, policy makers and the private sector to raise the ambition of the tourism sector. UN Tourism Executive Director Zoritsa Urosevic presented the UN Statistical Framework for Measuring Tourism Sustainability as an essential tool to raise the sector’s ambition on climate action. A presentation also focused on innovative climate finance solutions.
Carbon measurement was discussed at four levels: at the global level, to understand the magnitude of the challenge; at the national level, to guide tourism policies and align them with climate goals; at the business level, to ensure accountability for change; and at the product labelling level, empowering consumers to make informed and sustainable choices. While stepped-up measurement efforts provide opportunities for evidence-based action, experts highlighted challenges such as the limits of technology-driven improvements, the need for innovative business models, and the essential role of behavioural change.
Discussions on adaptation and regeneration highlighted the potential of tourism to foster climate adaptation and regeneration strategies, highlighting the need for scalable financing mechanisms, innovative financial instruments and collaborative approaches. Educational interventions and strategies that support transitions to sustainability were presented. In summary, several examples of innovation and collaboration illustrated how decarbonisation can be linked to finance, how adaptation strategies can be supported by science, and how climate action plans can lay the groundwork for change.
New signatories of the Glasgow Declaration Initiative
The Glasgow Declaration Initiative on Climate Action in Tourism (an initiative within the One Planet Sustainable Tourism Programme) continues to make progress, with more than 370 action plans already drawn up by its 900 signatories. Key findings from the Glasgow Declaration 2024 Implementation Report were presented at COP29, in particular:
74% of signatories with climate action plans are measuring
92% of plans include decarbonisation measures
73% of plans include measures related to biodiversity protection
41% of plans include climate adaptation measures
29% of plans address climate justice
82% of signatories with plans indicate they are collaborating with others
44% of plans address financing measures and indicate this remains a challenge
During COP29, the Glasgow Declaration was signed by the State Tourism Agency of Azerbaijan and Minor International, and a further 58 new signatories were announced, including Destination Canada, the Department of Tourism of Samarkand Region (Uzbekistan), and HOTREC (the European Association of Hotels, Restaurants and Cafés), among others.
Towards the development of climate-resilient tourism
With the aim of laying the foundations for a global coordination mechanism and collaboration platform, UN Tourism and the State Agency for Tourism of Azerbaijan signed a Letter of Intent, to create a framework for its establishment. The collaboration will ensure the continuation of the process until COP30 in Belem, Brazil, in 2025, and consideration for COP28 – and will support the transformation of the tourism sector, so that it can be part of a sustainable, resilient and low-carbon future.
Source: UN Tourism.