TourismX Token

Tourism the World’s biggest industry with around 10 trillion USD revenues and around 300 million people working in the industry globally (around 11% of Global workforce). Travel and tourism accounts for 7 % of the Global gross domestic product (GDP). Therefore, It is crucial to take into account the industry’s environmental effects because to its immense size.UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development establishes a series of sustainable development goals (SDGs) in order to “to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all” by 2030. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the associated Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) have become focal points for the study of tourism’s contribution to sustainable development and the sustainability of tourism as a whole thanks to the UNWTO’s emphasis on sustainable tourism and the sector’s economic importance.The issue of climate change is closely related to the present agenda for sustainable tourism. Tourism and climate change have a complicated relationship. The tourism industry is already being impacted by climate change in terms of investment, planning, and operations. The direct and indirect consequences of accelerated climate change and comprehensive government responses will impact tourism’s competitiveness, sustainability, and geography. Sustainable tourism development is incompatible with any occurrence that hinders Tourism is the victim and the reason!In addition to being a victim of global warming, global tourism industry is also one of the reasons of the issue! 8% of the carbon emissions produced worldwide are due to global tourism alone. (Which in 2019 was 11%). This footprint is expanding as more individuals travel each year. 40% of total tourism industry resulted carbon emissions come from air travel.There is nowhere to hide, for global tourism industry there is a huge the need to respond the challenge of climate change. The most important task for preventing and managing the devastation of sustainable tourism brought on by climate change is managing the carbon risk associated with the shift to a net-zero economy. In order to achieve the sector’s emission reduction targets, Global tourism industry has to show enormous effort of decarbonizing the tourism industry.After all, the destinations that will be most negatively impacted by the effects of climate change on global tourism will ultimately be the tourism-dependent countries that depend on tourism for foreign exchange influx and economic growth. Especially seaside and small island destinations will face the unfortunate economic decline and livelihood failure of welfare.As a result of the increase in visitors due to “binge flying” and increasing demand for holidays available by air travel, environmental pollution problems like household waste and greenhouse gas emissions are getting worse and are starting to be a threat to a destination’s ability to build its economy sustainably (eg: Antalya, Majorca, etc.). The amount of household waste created surge as a result of the rapid rise in visitors and locals. Besides, in such attractive tourist destinations, there is a significant increase in the number of commercial facilities and increase in car traffic problems brought on by the flood of tourists, thus this will decrease in the destination’s long-term competitiveness and good reputation. Therefore, such destinations face a number of societal costs, including environmental problems affecting the quality of life of its citizens and harm to its clean image due to unplanned increase in tourism.Tourism cannot be considered sustainable until it achieves a degree of decarbonization consistent with the Paris Climate Accord’s science-based policy objectives. The IPCC Fifth Assessment Report noted that the above-mentioned trend in tourism emissions growth was incompatible with the need to keep within the &#43;1,5 C limit.There are 3.4 billion individuals that live in rural areas globally. They are the most vulnerable to climate change. Long distances to urban centers and inadequate key infrastructure, such as roads, electricity, and water, make rural communities more sensitive to climate threats. There are numerous side advantages to providing essential infrastructure, including renewable energy. By using ecological and social capital to support resilient ecosystems with high connectivity and functional diversity, biodiversity management initiatives co-produce social benefits like improved health, leisure activities, and ecotourism.<h2 id="header-0">UN, UNWTO and so many climate declarations</h2>In a very basic explanation, the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from the globe is the most important and effective method of stopping global warming. In order to simultaneously lower greenhouse gas emissions on a worldwide scale, two measures must be implemented. The reduction of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere must come first, followed by the removal of any gases that have already been released.According to United Nations Climate Change, Climate change is rapidly and badly harming the very things that travelers travel across the world to see, from wildfires in Greece to sea level rises in the Solomon Islands to coral bleaching off the coast of Australia.Many experts predict that a large number of world’s islands will be submerged as a result of global warming and sea level rise. In short, for many Islands globally, island tourism is a factor in both the island’s own extinction and the effects of global warming. According to UNWTO The Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism.<blockquote>- Support the global commitment to halve emissions by 2030 and reach Net Zero as soon as possible before 2050.- Deliver climate action plans within 12 months from becoming a signatory (or updating existing plans) and implement them.- Align plans with the five pathways of the Declaration (Measure, Decarbonize, Regenerate, Collaborate, Finance) to accelerate and co-ordinate climate action in tourism.- Report publicly on an annual basis on progress against interim and long-term targets, as well as on actions being taken.- Work in a collaborative spirit, sharing good practices and solutions, and disseminating information</blockquote>Besides, At COP26 in Glasgow in 2021, A Net Zero Roadmap for Travel and Tourism, published by the WTTC, highlighted how the sector might go carbon-free to protect both the future of travel and tourism and the environment.So many nations around the world have signed it. However, was there a solid result?Although the aviation sector contributed about 3.5% of the world’s CO2 emissions in 2005, it is predicted that with rapid, uncontrolled growth, the Airline sector will produce 15–40% of the world’s CO2 by 2050.Another resort example is Jeju Island of Korea. Sea levels have risen throughout the Korean Peninsula by about 2 millimeters per year over the past 40 years, while Jeju Island has seen an increase of between 4 and 6 millimeters per year. According to the IPCC climate change scenario, Jeju Island’s Sea level is expected to increase by 53–65 cm in the second half of the 21st century. The island will face severe natural disasters and sea level rise. Therefore, no more tourism!Thanks God that both the airline and cruise sectors have established a goal of being net zero by 2050. (WTTC).Today’s smart destinations (eg: Barcelona, Venice, etc.) are shifting their attention to how beneficial each visitor may be and working to maximize that value while minimizing the negative effects on the climate and other environmental or social issues, instead of going after more and more tourists.What else can be done in tourist destinations to become more climate friendly?<blockquote>- Smart grids and renewables for energy generation (rooftop solars, wind, etc. and international connection to transmission and distribution lines of renewable energy)- E-cars instead of regular cars as long as power distribution allows (Each electric vehicle reduces carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 1.8 tons annually.)- Green building — low carbon buildings design guideline system for all type of constructions- Concentrate on more natural beauty, mountains, peaceful empty seashores, history and culture of the destination rather than luxury hotels along the shores- Target for longer-stay tourists who would take time and minimize unnecessary travel and transport within destination- Prefer serving local seasonal food wherever possible in order to avoid long “food miles”. (Transportation is 19% of the overall emissions from the food system, which means that the CO2 emissions from the global food miles are 3.5 to 7.5 times higher than previously thought.)- Upcycling garbage from land and sea (requires technology and investment just like Smart Girds). Reduce-Reuse-Recycle- Promote and apply zero plastic, zero disposable products- Ecological Education for Children for the next generations- Promote airlines with Sustainable aviation fuel is known as SAF. (Though ticket rates will be higher, travelers still prefer to cause less harm to globe)- All seashore resort destinations must manufacture offshore wind farms due to their low costs in transmitting the energy from the sea to the shore. (Compared to the roughly 980 g CO2/kWh generated by coal Wind Energy generates 11 g CO2/kWh, 40 times less!)- Marine forests for resorts, (eg: Macroalgae plant) for cleaning carbon from sea; natural greenhouse gas emission plants underwater </blockquote>Finally, Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC)UN and UNWTO led the way to establish a though guidance for Destinations and Tourism Industry to follow and run for their criteria set: The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC).<a href="https://www.gstcouncil.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">https://www.gstcouncil.org/</a>The Global Sustainable Tourism Council — GSTC (Global Sustainable Tourism Council) was established under the leadership of the United Nations and the World Tourism Organization in order to reduce the environmental and ecological damages in tourism, to reduce the carbon footprint and to contribute to the sector without disturbing the ecological balances all over the world. It is essential to ensure that the 17 SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) of the United Nations are implemented in the tourism sector.<h2 id="header-1">GSTC was established in 2007 with the following shareholding structure:</h2><blockquote>• Rainforest Alliance• UNEP (UN Environment Programme)• UN Foundation• UNWTO (UN World Tourism Organization)</blockquote>GSTC acts as an accreditation body. It establishes and governs global standards for sustainable travel and tourism, known as the GSTC Criteria. Therefore, maintaining environmental quality is a necessary factor for tourist destinations aiming at the sustainability of operations, especially in sensitive areas. With good governance and public policies that encourage and coordinate such activities, tourism is one of the activities that can be economically sustainable and attract funds from many global sources. GSTC Criteria are organized for 4 purposes:<ul><li>Sustainable management — Socioeconomic effects — Cultural influences — Environmental influences.</li></ul>As WTFI’s TourismX, after spending many years in the Global Tourism Industry arena among top leaders of the World and Tourism Industry, we already realized the need for true sustainable tourism for destinations. Getting a GSTC Certificate for a destination takes 2 years; however, it is a marathon worth running;<blockquote>Obtaining a GSTC Certificate for a destination will allow to go beyond the restrictions related to Tourism and Travel in the near future (eg: big fairs, congresses, competitions, and festivals such as Olympics, World Cup will not be awarded to places without GSTC Destination Certificate).Global finance providers such as the World Bank and UNDP will highlight places with GSTC Destination Certificates and facilitate access to foreign funds (UNDP has already started, there are examples).In order to obtain the GSTC Destination Certificate, the Destination needs a DMO Plan (Destination Management Organization) and enables it to make this planning quickly.Hotel prices have already increased by 30–40 percent in GSTC Certified destinations, and most guests welcome the rate increase for sustainable tourism. In some countries, new hotel developments and constructions require GSTC certificate.</blockquote><h2 id="header-2">Resources:</h2><ul><li>Bao Wen, Carbon Management Strategy of Tourism in Response to Climate Change (2011), <a href="https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/</a></li><li>Federico Cavallaro et al., Climate change impacts and tourism mobility: A destination-based approach for coastal areas, (2021), International Journal of Sustainable Transportation</li><li>Song, W. Climate Change and Tourism Sustainability in Jeju Island Landscape. Sustainability 2023</li><li>United Nations Climate Change, <a href="https://unfccc.int/gcse?q&#61;tourism" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">https://unfccc.int/gcse?q&#61;tourism</a></li><li>Scott Cohen, Christina T. Cavaliere, James Higham, Binge flying: behavioral addiction and climate change, (2011), University of Surrey</li><li><a href="https://www.gstcouncil.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">https://www.gstcouncil.org/</a> </li></ul>

TourismX for Sustainable Tourism

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