Spice is attending the summit, which will feature keynote speakers such as Western Australian Premier Roger Cook; Western Australian deputy premier Rita Saffioti; former US Secretary of State John Kerry; Fijian Deputy Prime Minister Viliame Gavoka; World Travel & Tourism Council president and CEO Julia Simpson; Tourism Australia managing director Phillipa Harrison; Business Events Perth chair Bradley Woods; and Australia Zoo wildlife conservationist Robert Irwin.
The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) commenced the summit with an update on its environmental footprint data.
WTTC’s latest environmental and social research reveals that in 2023 travel and tourism accounted for 6.7 per cent of all carbon emissions globally, down from 7.8 per cent in 2019, when global travel was at its peak.
The research demonstrates the travel sector’s economic contribution is growing faster than its environmental impact.
In 2023, the travel and tourism sector’s contribution to global GDP almost reached pre-COVID-19-pandemic levels at US$9.9 trillion, just four per cent shy of the sector’s peak.
However, in 2023, the sector’s global greenhouse gas emissions were 12 per cent below the 2019 peak, with greenhouse gas intensity – emissions per unit of GDP – falling 8.4 per cent during this period.
“Our sector is proving we can grow responsibly,” says WTTC president and CEO Julia Simpson.
“We’re decoupling growth from emissions [as] travel and tourism is expanding economically while lowering its environmental footprint.
“This is a defining moment, proving innovation and sustainability go hand-in-hand in shaping the future of global tourism.
“However, while we are decoupling our sector’s growth from the increase in greenhouse gases, our aim is absolute reductions.
“We must accelerate this progress significantly to meet Paris climate targets. We’re on the right track, but we need to up our game.”
A key driver of travel and tourism’s emissions is the energy used to power its operations, however despite increases in renewable energy use and reductions in fossil fuel reliance, the sector’s progress in this space remains modest.
In 2023, the sector’s reliance on fossil fuel energy sources such as oil, coal and natural gas dropped from 90 per cent in 2019 to 88.2 per cent.
The share of low-carbon energy sources increased from 5.1 per cent in 2019 to 5.9 per cent in 2023, which is an increase, albeit a small one, which highlights that more needs to be done to increase sustainability efforts worldwide.
The WTTC Global Summit concludes on Thursday, 10 October, 2024.
