Canoeists paddle through the Soca Gorge on the Soca River in Kobarid, Slovenia. (Richard Baker ... [+]
Travel makes us better. It broadens our perspective, it pushes our boundaries and it allows us to experience the world through a different lens. With great power, also comes great responsibility, which is why as a well known contributor to climate change, it is critical that the tourism industry becomes more sustainable as a whole.
There is much work to be done on educating consumers what sustainable tourism actually is and how to do it, however. Many nonprofits and associations are working towards that goal and Travara was established to be the media platform that connects the dots and demystifies it, making it easy for modern, socially conscious travelers to discover the best of travel.
To me, sustainable tourism symbolizes traveling well. How can you do the most good, the least harm and have a memorable, transformative experience? To travel well, you have to support local communities, protect culture and heritage, and do it all with as light of an environmental footprint as possible.
Global leaders and change makers gathered in New York this week to discuss climate action and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and how the industry can collaborate to achieve the goals by the 2030 deadline. The travel and tourism industry is taking more and more action to become more sustainable, but there’s still a long way to go.
This is what sustainable tourism means to some of the women leading the charge.
Gloria Guevara, President of the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC)
According to WTTC, the travel and tourism industry contributes 10.4% to the global GDP. During the UN General Assembly, WTTC announced a new sustainability action plan, 0SCARS, to lead the sector towards greater action on sustainability.
“Sustainable tourism is a way of travel that, while it offers a unique and amazing experience to the traveller and connects people, it also protects our best assets, our nature, our culture, our communities, our history and our planet,” said Gloria Guevara.
The 2019 WTTC global conference took place in Sevilla, Spain, where Barack Obama spoke about the ... [+]
Paula Vlamings, Chief Impact Officer, Tourism Cares
A membership organization whose mission is to advance the travel and tourism industry’s social and environmental impact to help people and places thrive, Tourism Cares gathers a member-base of nearly 200 leading travel associations and companies who they mobilize to use business as a force for good.
"Sustainable tourism is important because the alternative is unsustainable: polluted beaches full of plastic, dead coral reefs with no fish, increasing crime, unwelcoming locals or disappearing cultures and wildlife,” said Paula Vlamings. “In order for travel to be transformative, authentic, or even memorable, it must respect the natural resources and work in partnership with communities.”
Kelley Louise, Founder and Executive Director, Impact Travel Alliance
A nonprofit community for impact-focused travelers and travel professionals, the Impact Travel Alliance aims to educate and empower travelers on how to spend their money mindfully so that their experiences empower locals and protect our environment.
"For me, sustainable travel is inherently linked to the best type of travel. It gives us the unique opportunity to connect with destinations on a deeper level through immersive experiences, and travel in a way that enriches our lives as well as the communities we are fortunate enough to visit,” said Kelley Louise.
Home made bread and honey shared by a Berber family in the Atlas mountains of Morocco
Aoife McArdle, Director of Business Affairs and Social Impact Experiences, Airbnb
The benefits of home sharing allow travelers to connect with locals and creates economic opportunity in rural areas, leveraging tourism as a tool for development. Beyond that Airbnb also offers social impact experiences that can provide a deeper and more meaningful experience for travelers looking to connect with other cultures.
"Ensuring local residents are benefitting directly from tourism in their community is an essential part of sustainable travel. Airbnb Experiences was built on this premise — empowering people to share their expertise and passion for their community with visitors and locals alike,” said Aoife McArdle.
Katie Fallon, EVP Corporate Affairs, Hilton
Through Hilton’s Travel with Purpose program, they’ve aligned their goals with sustainable tourism and by measuring and quantifying their efforts, they have made a good business case for sustainability (which also helped rank them at the top of the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices).
“The normal course of business at Hilton is to look outside the walls of our hotels to see how we’re impacting our communities,” said Katie Fallon. “To help lead in a sustainable way over the next century in travel, we launched ambitious goals to cut our environmental footprint in half and double our social impact by 2030.”
Ana Duék, Founder, Viajar Verde
A Brazilian travel blog focused on sustainable tourism, Viajar Verde was launched by journalist Ana Duék with the aim of engaging both travelers and the industry in more conscious, ethical and transformative travels.
“The impacts we cause when we travel are much higher than we believe. Considering alternative and more sustainable ways of traveling is not just our responsibility with the environment but also with the destinations and communities we visit,” said Ana Duék. “We must reach the moment when sustainable tourism won’t be a niche anymore, but mainstream.”
A young tailor in her shop in Ho Hoe, Ghana
Shamina Singh, Founder & President, Center for Inclusive Growth, Mastercard
Mastercard’s Center for Inclusive Growth serves as a beacon for other companies, policymakers, think tanks and other people who want to learn more about financial inclusion and use that as a stepping stone to the ultimate goal of inclusive growth.
“Global tourism is a booming business, however, it’s imperative that any tourism strategy create pathways to sustainable and inclusive growth for all segments of the host country,” said Shamina Singh. “By equipping local planners with data insights about visitor flows and economic activity, they can direct tourism spend more evenly across local communities, alleviating stresses on local infrastructure and potentially helping small business owners and local entrepreneurs better serve the needs of international visitors.”
Suzi Cabo, Managing Director, Social Impact Optimization, United
Currently the only U.S. Airline to use biofuel regularly, United Airlines is dedicated to changing the game when it comes to reducing emissions from flying. Currently, every single flight departing from Los Angeles flies on biofuel.
“Since 99% of of our footprint is because of our fuel usage, that’s where we focus.” said Suzi Cabo. “We’re so committed that we’re making significant investments in new refineries so that one day, supply can keep up with demand.”
A United Airlines Boeing 737-900ER, billed as a "flight for the planet," arrives at Los Angeles ... [+]
Gloria Fluxà, Vice Chairman and Chief Sustainability Officer, Iberostar
Iberostar is a family owned hotel brand that is now operated by third and fourth generation descendants. As an independent company, they have the flexibility to adopt a more sustainable tourism model that focuses on their passion for the ocean. The first hotel chain in Spain to eradicate single-use plastics in their hotels, the company has a goal of being completely plastic free by 2020.
“It’s a question of making your clients participate in the journey and I think it’s very important for them to feel the purpose and be a part of it as well,” said Gloria Fluxà. “And if you’re if you’re genuine about it, it will differentiate you as well. Being sustainable doesn’t have to take away from the quality experience.”
Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary, UN Framework Convention on Climate Change
The UNFCCC secretariat (UN Climate Change) was established to facilitate climate change negotiations, provide technical expertise and assist in the analysis and review of climate change information. By collaborating with groups like WTTC, they are working quickly to support climate action.
“Real environmental action is about more than recycling towels at the hotels. We want to provide the support the tourism sector needs to take real, meaningful action to achieve climate neutrality in travel and tourism sector by 2050, at the latest,” said Patricia Espinosa. “Business as usual is not good enough anymore. Not for the tourism sector or any sector. It’s more than a question of morality, it’s a question of survival.”
