Sustainable Tourism

Tourism has been exponentially growing since the 1950s. That year, there were 25 million international tourists. In 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, there were around 2.4 billion tourists according to the World Bank. However, tourism has had substantial negative environmental impacts. Tourism causes overconsumption of natural resources, especially in places where said resources are scarce. According to the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, hotels use an average of 1500 liters of water per room per day, golf courses use around 90 million gallons of water per year, and water is overused in swimming pools and wellness areas. There are also extreme pollution and waste issues. By 2050, the UNEP estimates that there will be a 251% increase of solid waste production due to tourism. Tourism contributes to over 5% of the global greenhouse gas emissions, 90% coming from transportation. By 2030, there will be a 25% increase in CO2 emissions from 2016. An average cruise ship generates 1 million gallons of gray water, 210,000 gallons of sewage, and 25,000 gallons of oily bilge water in just a week. They unitize extensive amounts of fuel, leading to enormous quantities of waste dumped into oceans and seas. In addition, a medium-sized cruise ship uses 150 tons of fuel daily, which is just as much as the fuel use of 1 million cars. Light and noise pollution from tourism also have baneful effects on the environment. Despite the calamitous effects of tourism, many countries depend on it to sustain their economy. Small island countries had tourism contribute to 50% of their GDP at its peak. Due to COVID-19, tourism numbers have dropped significantly. The pandemic put between 100,000,000 to 120,000,000 direct tourism jobs in jeopardy in 2020. There were insurmountable losses in international revenues for tourism-dependent economies. In addition, the GDP amongst tourism-dependent African and Caribbean countries/nations shrunk by 12% in 2020, Pacific Island nations being shrunk by 21% that same year. 

The United Nations held the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa on February 21, 2003 in which sustainable tourism was discussed. In 2008, the UNWTO presented the Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria at the World Conservation Congress which offered a common framework to sustainable tourism. In 2009, the XVIII session of the UNWTO General Assembly endorsed the Roadmap for Recovery, promising to mainstream tourism into economic stimulus packages. That same year, the UNWTO and the World Travel and Tourism Council discussed negotiations surrounding the tourism industry’s effects on the climate imperative. In 2010, a Ministers’ Meeting was held, emphasizing tourism’s contribution to global economic recovery as well as a long-term environmental transformation. More recently in 2021, the UN Environment Programme published the Net Zero Roadmap. This publication included decarbonization levers that can contribute to the achievement of net zero targets, specific industries of tourism including tour operators, aviation, cruises, etc., and the cost of climate change. 

Works Cited

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