Accelerating Sustainable Tourism Through Public-Private Sector Collaboration
Travel and tourism (T&T) are vital economic enablers for many countries and local communities, supporting an estimated 10% of global GDP, 7% of global exports, and roughly one in 10 jobs worldwide (World Bank, 2023). However, they are also major contributors to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and other environmental and social challenges.
In a new paper, the Visa Economic Empowerment Institute (VEEI) examines the definition and measurement of sustainable T&T, discusses the barriers, and explores the ways that the public and private sectors can team up in their efforts to slow the impact of T&T and protect local communities and ecosystems.
As the world’s leaders gather in Dubai at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28), here are five ways that the private and public sectors can change the future of sustainable travel together:
1. Invest in robust, sustainable mobility infrastructure.
By providing tourists with sustainable options for moving around their travel destination, policymakers can decrease reliance on single occupancy vehicles and reduce GHG emissions in the long-term, while also improving the quality of life for residents. Investment decisions and resource allocation should be based on a proper cost-benefit analysis.
2. Ensure public transit systems are accessible and inclusive, particularly for out-of-town visitors.
When tourists reach a new destination, they may not know how to effectively use local transit infrastructure and may therefore default to carbon-intensive means of transportation. By prioritizing accessibility and ease of use, policymakers can mitigate this issue, thereby increasing transit ridership.
3. Help attractions and destination management organizations to manage over-tourism.
When too many people visit an attraction at one time, it may have negative repercussions for local communities and ecosystems. By taking steps such as imposing reasonable limits on the number of visitors, promoting off-season travel, and introducing dynamic pricing, attractions can limit the likelihood and negative impacts of over-tourism.
4. Take steps to develop a consistent framework for measuring trends in sustainability.
Having access to high-quality data is a vital resource for policymakers and businesses, allowing them to set targets, monitor trends, and gauge progress. The converse is also true—missing or unreliable data is a major impediment.
5. Overcome informational barriers to help close the ‘say-do’ gap.
The extent to which tourists will drive change through their decision-making rests on the strength of their preferences and their access to credible information to differentiate between service providers. A significant contributor to the “say-do” gap — tourists saying that they want to behave more sustainably but failing to do so — is informational barriers.
To explore the recommendations and findings in more detail and to read the full VEEI study, ‘Accelerating sustainable tourism: Areas for public-private collaboration’, please see the link to the report here.
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