Sustainable travel means finding a way that tourism can be maintained long-term without harming natural and cultural environments. Sustainable travel helps minimise the negative impacts of tourism and ultimately be beneficial to the area in which it takes place both to the environment and the indigenous people living there.  
  
We can all make some small changes that make a big difference.

Here are my top 5 tips on how we can all start to make an impact.  

  • Save trees & ink where possible by travelling with online versions of your documents 
  • Take a reusable water bottle or coffee cup with you 
  • Slow down and stay a while. Buy locally made products and food 
  • Turn off electrics in your hotel room when not in use and take part in any water saving initiatives in your chosen hotel  
  • Respect the wildlife and avoid any harmful activities 

While the small steps we can make as passengers do help, it's important to recognise the work being done by the wider travel industry which is helping make a big impact and drive for major change.  

Aviation 

Aviation is responsible for approximately 40% of global tourism’s CO2 emissions plus, more than 80% of British holidaymakers depart the UK by plane, and so aviation contributes 7% of the UK’s total CO2 emissions.  
TUI Airways and Jet2, two of the most popular holiday operators, were respectively ranked the fourth and eleventh most carbon efficient airlines globally (of the 200 largest airlines). Plus, Virgin Atlantic reduced CO2 by 18% between 2007 and 2019, and total aircraft emissions by 20% in the same period. 

Accommodation

Accommodation emissions make up a further 21% of tourism’s greenhouse gas emissions, produced by air conditioning, heating, restaurants and swimming pools. To play its part, the hotel sector needs to reduce its absolute emissions by 66% by 2030 and 90% by 2050, against a 2010 baseline. A holidaymaker’s ‘food print’ can be significant; in some cases, the carbon emissions of food consumed on holiday can be even greater than those of the transport and accommodation elements. 
  
Make Holidays Greener is a campaign lead by ABTA in partnership with Travelife for Accommodation, with the idea to encourage holidaymakers and the industry to create better places to live in, and better places to visit. Its 2019 campaign focused on resources by encouraging holidaymakers and travel companies to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle – which followed on from 2018’s theme Say no to Plastic.

Cruise

Emissions from cruise ships make up an estimated 1-2% of global tourism emissions. The global cruise industry has committed to reduce the rate of carbon emissions across the industry fleet by 40% by 2030, by adopting efficiency adaptations and operational improvements; investing in modern, more fuel-efficient fleet, investing in alternative fuels, and by reducing waste. 
TUI are investing in more fuel-efficient ships achieving 2.1% carbon efficiency improvement vs. 2019. MSC's Europa ship will feature a new generation wastewater treatment system as well as other cutting-edge technology. Virgin Voyages has partnered with a company to convert the ship's engine heat to electricity, therefore decreasing fuel needs. Royal Caribbean is also striving to reduce emissions by 25% by 2025.

Case Study

OCEAN CAY MARINE RESERVE WELCOMES FIRST LOGGERHEAD TURTLE HATCHINGS

More than six nests and hundreds of sea turtle hatchlings have been identified on MSC Cruises’ marine reserve private island Ocean Cay. 
Ocean Cay has become a thriving and breath-taking habitat for guests to enjoy, full of indigenous species flourishing both ashore and in the surrounding marine environment 
  
Since August, MSC Cruises has seen hundreds of tiny Loggerhead sea turtle hatchlings making their way to sea from numerous nests that have appeared on Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, the Company’s private island. These historic sightings are a culmination of MSC Cruises’ successful project to return the island and its surrounding waters to its former status as a thriving environment for indigenous flora and fauna. Over six nests have been identified so far and are being monitored on the island. 

Touring

A lot of companies use “sustainability” or “sustainable travel” to talk about exploring the world in a better way, but I have never seen it done like G Adventures. They are committed to making travel a force for good- here, G stands for Good. They say it all so well, so let us hear it directly from G Adventures… 

Acting Responsibly  
'Our efforts to protect and conserve our world fall under two approaches. The first, Acting Responsibly, is our commitment to improve the sustainability of our own operations. You can’t create change without taking action — so that’s what we’ve done. If you want to make sure your next trip follows these guidelines, all you have to do is travel with us!' 

Creating Positive Impact  
'is our second approach to responsible travel. These initiatives focus on leaving the right impact in the places you visit with us.' 

Responsible Travel Commitments 
'G Adventures is committed to understanding all potential modern slavery risks related to our business and to putting steps into place to ensure there is no slavery or human trafficking in our operations… At every step of every tour, our CEOs (Chief Experience Officers is our name for our tour guides) are there for us. The CEO Wellbeing Fund is our commitment to ensuring they’re supported too. 

It is great to know so many of the tour operators and airlines I work with are striving towards a more sustainable future. And, while the overall industry makes steps towards a more sustainable future, I will also be making changes that help make a difference, from cutting down paper usage, to working closer with my sustainable focused operators. I hope you will join me in taking small steps to make a big difference.