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Tourism and Travel

About this sector

Based on its contribution to global gross domestic product, the number of people it employs, and the number of clients it serves, tourism has been described as the world’s largest industry. In 2008 these figures were 9.5% of global GDP, over 200 million jobs – one in 13 of all jobs worldwide – 924 million international travellers in 2008, and perhaps 10 times the number of domestic travellers.
The industry forms one of the top five export earners in 150 countries, and is particularly important for developing countries. For the world’s 40 poorest countries, tourism is second to oil as a source of foreign exchange.

Impacts

Tourism facilities and infrastructure can threaten natural and important habitats.
Excessive use of natural resources, such as fresh water, energy and food can threaten supplies and lead to pollution through waste.
Tourist behaviour can threaten species and ecosystems (introduction of invasive alien species, harvesting of wild species for souvenirs).

Opportunities/Risks

The rise in demand for nature-based and eco-tourism creates business opportunities that can be tied with wildlife conservation.
Consumer awareness of ethical and environmental issues creates markets for responsible tourism.
Environmental impacts can limit access to capital insurance and incur legal risks.
Brand and reputation are strongly influenced by a company’s environmental performance.

Case Studies

African magic mixed with cutting edge green technology

Elizabeth Dlamini, herbalist and skincare adviser to a whole of local women, has skin that glows. She beams as she explains why. “Here in the Royal Kingdom of Swaziland we proud of our plants that we use in our traditional beauty regimes. Our grandmothers taught us how to prepare cosmetics from the oil of the Marula nut”. Now, Ubuntu Natural is bringing Swaziland’s best-kept beauty secret to the international cosmetics market.

Biodiversity and Access to Affordable medicines

Recognizing the importance of medicinal plants offers a unique opportunity to link biodiversity, health and sustainable development. Biodiversity is the source of primary health care for the majority of the world’s population. The research and development of medicinal plants is thus a way to safeguard and advance health care, which is essential for much of the population. Moreover, the ethical sourcing of medicinal plants can play an important role in the conservation and sustainable use of these species and their ecosystems, as well as provide a significant avenue for local sustainable development.

Building local plant nurseries for the rehabilitation of quarries

As part of its quarry rehabilitation process, Lafarge has developed local plant nurseries that respect indigenous species and are adapted to the local environment. This initiative is part of broader methodologies and best practices

developed by the company to optimize its quarry reclamation, with the ﬁnal objective of strengthening the acceptability of its operations in the long run.

Implementing “zero impact” invoices

Committed to neutralize the environmental impacts associated with its paper invoicing process, EDP has engaged in a compensation program based on (1) life cycle assessment and (2) externalities compensation through agroforestry good practices that restore the ecosystem service originally impacted by invoicing activities.

Setting private natural heritage reserves

Owning large natural reserves as part of its forestry activities in Brazil, Fibria has chosen to register its most biodiverse lands as part of the Brazilian-specific Private Natural Heritage Reserves scheme. Recognition of Fibria’s conservation efforts is expected to further increase public and stakeholder awareness on company conservation activities.

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Tools and Mechanisms

International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA)

http://www.ifpma.org/

The IFPMA represents members of the R&D pharmaceutical industry, including the biotech and vaccine sectors, in dialogue with global intergovernmental organizations, the diplomatic missions of national governments, and specialized non-governmental organizations.. This industry group has established guidelines on access to genetic resources and equitable sharing of benefits arising from their utilization.

IUCN Hotel Biodiversity Operational Guidelines

http://cmsdata.iucn.org/downloads/iucn_hotel_guide...

In partnership with Accor, IUCN have produced a guide to sustainable use of biological resources, focusing on the biodiversity implications of specific products or activities. This guide titled ‘Biodiversity: My hotel in action’ highlights the different ways in which hotels can influence biodiversity.

Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Initiative (PSCI)

http://www.pharmaceuticalsupplychain.org/

The PSCI is a group of major pharmaceutical companies who share a vision of better social, economic, and environmental outcomes for all those involved in the pharmaceutical supply chain. This includes improved conditions for workers, economic development. and a cleaner environment for local communities.

As a first step, the PSCI created the Pharmaceutical Industry Principles for Responsible Supply Chain Management. These Principles address five areas of responsible business practices: ethics, labor, health and safety, environment, and management systems.

CITES Trade database

http://www.unep-wcmc.org/citestrade/trade.cfm

The CITES Trade database is a unique resource with more than 10 million records of trade in wildlife and over 50,000 scientific names of taxa listed by CITES. Currently, more than 750,000 records of trade in CITES-listed species of wildlife are reported annually.

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC)

http://www.wttc.org/

The WTTC is a major forum for business leaders in the Travel & Tourism industry. Based on the following principles, the WTTC advocates partnerships between the public and private sectors to deliver results that match the needs of economies, local and regional authorities, and local communities:

Governments recognising Travel & Tourism as a top priority
Business balancing economics with people, culture and environment
A shared pursuit of long-term growth and prosperity

Additionally, the WTTC's Best Practice Gateway provides in-depth insight into the industry’s actions towards sustainable Travel & Tourism development.

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Tourism & Travel

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