The travel and tourism sector has succeeded in reducing its global emissions while maintaining growth, new data shows.
Revealed at the 24th edition of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) Global Summit, taking place in Perth, Australia, figures from the latest WTTC Environmental and Social Research (ESR) show that in 2023, the sector accounted for 6.7% of all emissions globally, a reduction of over 1% since 2019’s 7.8%.
Emissions intensity down
The reduction in the sector’s contribution to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions comes at a time when travel and tourism have almost fully recovered from the Covid-19 pandemic. Generating US$9.9 trillion worth of the planet’s GDP in 2023, the sector has returned to 4% behind its 2019 peak.
But the quantity of emissions per unit of GDP, or “GHG intensity” measure, for the sector, has fallen by more than double that: 8.4% in the same period – something the WTTC says is holding up as evidence that the sector is becoming cleaner.
“Our sector is proving that we can grow responsibly,” said Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO. “We’re decoupling growth from emissions – Travel & Tourism is expanding economically while lowering its environmental footprint.” Hailing the new data as “a defining moment”, Simpson said the research demonstrates “that innovation and sustainability go hand in hand in shaping the future of global tourism.”
Fossil fuel reliance remains at 88.2%
Nonetheless, there is still some way to go in increasing renewable energy use and reducing the sector’s dependence on fossil fuels, the Council said in a press release in which it described improvements seen so far as “relatively modest” and called for “decisive action”. Fossil fuel reliance dropped by 1.8% over the same five year comparison period and remains at 88.2%. Meanwhile, the share of low-carbon energy sources is up just 0.8%, to 5.9% overall.
“While we are decoupling our sector’s growth from the increase in GHG, our aim is absolute reductions,” Simpson insisted. “We must accelerate this progress significantly to meet the Paris climate targets. We’re on the right track, but we need to up our game.”
Tax revenues to the rescue?
Part of that effort needs to be supported by governments, Simpson added, noting that the sector’s recovery and growth have brought in significant tax revenues that purse holders should be reinvesting in helping the sector become more sustainable.
Travel and tourism’s tax contributions around the world added up to $3.32 trillion in 2024, equating to 9.6% of total global tax revenues. “Governments must use these additional revenues to reinvest in decarbonising infrastructure, expanding renewable energies and supporting businesses in their green transition,” the Council said.