The travel and tourism industry was one of the sectors most hard hit by COVID-19 and it’s recovery has been slow paced as the countries reopened their borders and governments lifted the travel restrictions.
Between January and July this year the number of international travelers reached 57% of the pre –pandemic levels. International travelers reached 57 percent of pre-pandemic levels this is according to the World Tourism Organization. About 474 million tourists travelled internationally during the first seven months, compared to 175 million in the same months of 2021.
The resumption of travel and tourist activities is still threatened by climate change with flooding, droughts and heat waves threatening most tourist destinations however the increase in the number of tourists is a ray of hope for many countries that lost their revenues as a result of COVID-19.
In spite of tourism being one of the world’s largest industries it accounts for about 8–11 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, which causes global warming. Air travel alone is responsible for 2 percent of global CO2 emissions, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA)
As world travel and tourism resumes and grows further, there is a need to alleviate the negative impact of climate change. A World for Travel two day conference in Nîmes, France under the theme ‘Transforming Travel to develop Sustainability’ discussed the way forward in building sustainability in travel and tourism.
“Legislation of the travel industry globally will impact the different economies,” said Charles Feld, Director of According to Charles Feld ,Director of Grayling Group said that Grayling Group. Feld further reiterated that the main challenge is 63% of the industry globally lacks data which can help with predictability and accountability.
The Forum brought together at least 300 tourism executives, dignitaries, tourism ministers, and industry leaders from across the globe to discuss ideas on best practices to ensure the long-term sustainability of the tourism sector.
As the globe gears up to COP27; the 27th edition of the UN Conference on Climate Change in Egypt, the impact of climate change is being felt across the Horn of Africa as drought continues to ravage.
During one of the sessions during the two day forum, the role of media in sustainability was explored and the panelists stressed on the need for storytellers and media to be upfront and transparent in their storytelling. The panelists insisted that access to data and information is critical as the globe is having conversations of transitioning to clean energy
“We cannot dismiss new media, we can however integrate and verify the sources to deliver.”
