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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

Protecting local species for impact mitigation and creation of new business opportunities

Companies working in the field of tourism, such as the Sol Meliá hotel group, are starting to take biodiversity protection measures such as habitat restoration or endangered species protection not only for the objective of mitigating their ecological impacts, but also to differentiate their brand.

Utilizing financing mechanisms to protect Japanese satoyama biodiversity

Aware of the role finance has to play in the field of biodiversity projects funding, Sompo Japan has developed a loan mechanism that fosters investments in ecological housing and finances a charity fund dedicated to Japanese specific landscape protection.

Preserving water quality in a sustainable manner

Veolia Water, whose mandate is to deliver high quality water to its clients, is actively working with local authorities to protect the site that it depends upon to provide water to the Greater Lyon Urban Community in France. These actions to preserve biodiversity have proved to bring financial benefits to the company, whilst enhancing local biodiversity in the region.

Conserving the Atlantic rainforest in Brazil

Protecting the native forests in Brazil supports Veracel’s long term business perspectives as it enhances the ecosystem services that its operations depend on in the long term. Veracel has therefore engaged in native forest restoration activities in parallel with its usual forestry activities.

Replenishing groundwater through reforestation in Mexico

Operating in a region in Mexico with high water scarcity risk, Volkswagen decided in 2008 to engage in a multistakeholder reforestation program in the region surrounding its factories to allow the ecosystem’s water provisioning function to be restored.

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Tools and Mechanisms

Eco-Health Alliance

http://www.ecohealthalliance.org/

The Eco-Health Alliance, formerly known as the Wildlife Trust, is an international organization of scientists dedicated to the conservation of biodiversity. For more than 35 years, the Eco-Health Alliance has focused its efforts on conservation. Today, they are recognised for their innovative research on the intricate relationships between wildlife, ecosystems, and human health.

Planeta Sustentável

http://www.planetasustentavel.abril.com.br/

Planeta Sustentável (Sustainable Planet, in English) is a Special Media Project involving 38 titles from Abril Group, including: National Geographic Brasil; VEJA, the world’s third largest weekly news magazine; and Exame, the largest and most influential business magazine in Brazil.

Corporate Ecosystem Services Review (ESR)

http://www.wri.org/project/ecosystem-services-revi...

Developed by WRI, in conjunction with WBCSD and the Meridian Institute, this tool enables companies to identify business risks and opportunities arising from company’s dependence and impact on ecosystem services. Can be applied at site, market, product or sector level and can feed into Environmental Impact Assessments. Can also help identify new markets/ products. Following this, an initiative has been developed to determine how ecosystem services can be integrated into existing tools and management systems.

Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM): Mining Association of Canada

http://www.mining.ca/site/index.php/en/towards-sus...

TSM is a set of guiding principles and performance elements that govern key activities of companies in all sectors of the mining and mineral-processing industry. It provides guiding principles on sustainable mining and performance indicators, and has created a Tool for Assessing Biodiversity Conservation Management Performance and a Sustainable Mining Framework.

Tourism Sustainability Group report

http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/sectors/tourism/fil...

The purpose of this report is to stimulate action to make European tourism more sustainable and to maintain this as a continuous process. It is aimed at public bodies, private enterprises, and other organisations at the European, national, regional, and local level. Much of the report encourages joint action between the public and private sectors.