UK travel industry pledges sustainable future
Wednesday, 08 Oct, 2009
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Leading UK travel and tourism organisations are committing themselves to creating a sustainable industry by 2023.
Founding partners ABTA, British Airways, Carnival UK, The Co-operative Travel, The Travel Foundation, Thomas Cook and TUI Travel, unveiled the green initiative called Tourism 2023 at the ABTA Travel Convention in Barcelona.
The partners carry around 45 million passengers a year.
Tourism 2023 is being co-ordinated by sustainable development charity Forum for the Future and supported by Defra.
Rural affairs and the environment minister Dan Norris said: “It’s great to see these organisations coming together to declare their commitment to Tourism 2023 and workingto reduce their environmental impact and I hope others will join them.
“I look forward to seeing their vision turn into real actions and create a low-carbon industry.”
The venture is described as a collaborative project to help the UK outbound travel and tourism industry to anticipate and plan for its future.
It claims to set out a “clear vision” of a profitable and successful future supported by an effective industry strategy.
The founding partners together with Advantage Travel Centres and Sunvil Holidays are involved.
Tourism 2023 is based on six principles:
*protecting the environment;
*developing employees;
*providing customers with mainstream sustainable products;
*ensuring that destinations benefit from tourism;
*innovating to create sustainable transport and resorts; and
*developing a business which is environmentally, socially and financially sustainable.
The strategy has been developed in response to four scenarios which explore critical uncertainties facing the UK outbound industry such as the impact of growing domestic demand, climate change, resource scarcity, legislation, and increasing travel from emerging economies.
The founding partners commissioned the scenarios to help the industry imagine and plan for its future.
More than 100 people with expertise in different facets of the industry – including business leaders, academics, legislators, campaigners and commentators – have helped develop the scenarios, vision and strategy.
The partners hope that the project will also prompt action within the wider UK outbound industry to tackle the challenges it faces.
Other organisations are being urged to sign up to the vision and take part in the work which it is claimed will help shape the future of tourism.
ABTA chief executive Mark Tanzer said: “It is vital that the travel and tourism industry meets the challenges that an international industry faces if we want to have a successful and profitable future.
“By working together we can come up with practical and innovative solutions to these challenges, which make sound commercial sense. Tourism 2023 sets out the destination, and the direction we must follow to get there.”
The Co-operative Travel managing director Mike Greenacre said: “Tourism 2023 shows that the industry can work together to meet some of the toughest challenges that the sector has to face over the next 15 years.”
TUI Travel UK & Ireland managing director Dermot Blastland said: “We hope that through combining our efforts we can take our collective sustainability commitment to the next level, setting industry-wide goals on issues that cannot be tackled by individual tour operators alone.”
Forum for the Future director Stephanie Draper said: “The founders recognise that the best way to create a commercially sustainable future is to take their social and environmental responsibilities to the heart of their businesses.
“Their commitment to the Tourism 2023 Vision shows the way to the rest of the industry in the UK and worldwide.”
by Phil Davies
Phil Davies
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