Tough Challenges and Major
Opportunities
Madrid/Nairobi – The global challenge of
climate change and action by the tourism
sector in both adaptation of destinations
and mitigation of its own impacts will be
addressed at the upcoming Second International
Conference on Climate Change and Tourism
in Davos, Switzerland (1-3 October). The
meeting is organized by UNWTO together with
the United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP), the World Meteorological Organization
(WMO) and supported by the World Economic
Forum (WEF) and the Swiss Government.
The increasingly important travel and tourism
sector – totalling 846 million international
arrivals and some 4 billion domestic trips
in 2006- is both a contributor to greenhouse
gas (GHG) emissions, and at the same time
highly vulnerable to the effects of climate
change, according to a new report to be
released later this year by UNWTO, UNEP
and the WMO.
An Advance Summary of the Report entitled
"Climate Change and Tourism: Responding
to Global Challenges", attempts to
quantify the links between tourism and climate
change. Among the key conclusions of this
study are:
o Carbon dioxide emissions from the sector's
transport, accommodation and other tourism
activities are estimated to account for
between 4 and 6% of total emissions.
o If no mitigation measures are taken,
tourism contribution to CO2 emissions could
grow by 150% in the next 30 years, based
on UNWTO tourism market forecasts.
o Impacts of climate change on the tourism
sector will steadily intensify, particularly
under higher global GHG emission scenarios.
o Changing climate patterns might alter
major tourism flows where climate is of
paramount importance, such as Northern Europe,
the Mediterranean and the Caribbean.
o Coastal, mountain and nature-based destinations
in least developed countries and small island
developing states might be particularly
affected.
The tourism sector needs to strategically
focus on both, adaptation measures in affected
tourism destinations in order to safeguard
economic returns and jobs, and mitigation
measures of specific forms of tourism in
order to achieve substantial emission reductions.
New technology and financial mechanisms
will also be pivotal.
UNWTO Secretary-General Francesco Frangialli
says that "Climate change is real,
its effects are proven and the Tourism sector
has to play its part in contributing to
the solution of the challenges it poses.
Within our commitment to the Millennium
Development Goals and as the lead Tourism
organization in the UN family, we want to
ensure the coherence between action on poverty
reduction and climate change. Tourism is
an important player in both, as it represents
the main economic driving force for several
developing states."
According to UN Under-Secretary General
and UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner,
"The tourism industry is both challenged
by climate change and a contributor to greenhouse
gas emissions as reflected in the latest
UNWTO report. Last week at the United Nations
in New York, world leader after world leader
pledged political will at the highest level
to realize a post 2012 emissions reduction
agreement. Meanwhile many corporations pledged
emission reduction cuts of up to 50 per
cent by 2020. Others have plans in place
to go further, even to carbon neutrality.
This is the kind of leadership and innovation
needed across all sectors including the
tourism industry—leadership that supports
governments and may help ensure that the
wonderful and extraordinary travel destinations
that sustain the industry today will be
there for us to enjoy tomorrow."
What is clear is that travel to and from
the poorest countries that rely on tourism
as their primary export is only a small
proportion of total trips. UNWTO stresses
that one of its primary goals is to ensure
that the necessary solutions to this global
challenge are coherent with the equally
important global fight against poverty,
where tourism is such an important contributor.
The report includes a synthesis of current
and future likely impacts of climate change
on tourism destinations around the world,
possible implications for tourist demand,
current levels and trends in greenhouse
gas emissions from the tourism sector, and
an overview of policy and business management
responses to climate change.
The results of the Conference will be considered
at a UNWTO Ministerial Summit in London
on 13 November, with the support of the
World Travel Market and the UK Government,
and factored as appropriate into the overall
UN Strategy for Climate Change Response
to be discussed in Bali later in December.
Note to editors: The Advanced Summary of
"Climate Change and Tourism: Responding
to Global Challenges" is available
UNDER EMBARGO ONLY. Embargo expires Monday
1 October 15:00 CET.
This release is jointly issued with the
World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)
For further information please contact:
UNWTO
Geoffrey Lipman, UNWTO Assistant Secretary-General,
Spokesperson
Marcelo Risi, Media Officer
Robert Bisset, Press Officer
