With President Trump rolling back on the US’s climate change and sustainability policies, the global backdrop certainly raised more questions than answers at Abta’s annual Sustainable Travel Conference in London on Tuesday.
Susan Deer, Abta’s director of industry relations, reminded delegates the industry should not be sitting back and waiting for mandatory regulation: “We are all on this journey together,” she said. “It’s our collective challenge to keep tourism as a force for good.”
There followed an inspiring keynote from easyJet Holidays’ chief operating officer Matt Callaghan, urging travel to follow the coffee shop industry’s lead.
And here are the key takeaways from the rest of the programme, which was aimed at helping attendees to separate greenwashing from genuinely helpful guidance:
1. Ban clients’ bath time
Sustainable water management was a crucial topic for the future of tourism addressed by Mireia Delgado, business director at Preverisk. She said that destinations could lose up to 50% of their tourist arrivals if water issues are not addressed.
Preverisk specialises in auditing, consulting and training services for the tourism sector. In Majorca it carried out a pilot project with a local hotel group, which had the goal of measuring and reducing water consumption. “We found the average guest consumption was 400 litres per day, while the average domestic consumption is 150 litres. We were able to set reduction targets based on the data and introduce tailored water reduction initiatives,” she said.
Water scarcity was also raised by Rochelle Turner, Intrepid’s global B Corp impact manager, who highlighted that a severe drought in Ecuador was causing sustained power outages in cities, which relied on hydroelectric power. “We advise our guests, don’t have baths in certain parts of the world – it’s about being respectful when you travel.”
2. Reduce your IT carbon footprint
The biggest wake-up call of the day was Anthony Levy’s frank assessment of the environmental impact of IT operations. The founder and chairman of Circularity First explained that IT represents 4% of global carbon emissions today, but Boston Consulting Group has projected that will increase to 14% by 2040. “In 2024, a quarter of Ireland’s energy usage was for data centres,” Levy said. Yet ninety per cent of the data we store, we never retrieve, according to IBM.
“In your organisations, IT is probably 18-40% of your carbon footprint. It’s got to be one of the top five things you look at [for sustainability].” But IT is more than energy usage, it’s about manufacturing and disposal too, because we’re “always after the latest and greatest devices,” Levy said. “The extraction of materials and the amount of water used to make devices is brutal to this planet, and then we ship the devices half way around the world. Through extraction, manufacture and transport, laptops have already totalled the equivalent of 22,000 miles driven in an average car – and that’s before you even switch them on.”
First and foremost, machines should be switched off when they are not in use. Then his advice was to lean on your IT suppliers – because they are the experts. How are they reducing their own footprints, and what are they doing about waste? He advised that recycling was incredibly hard to do, but there were alternatives to avoid IT waste ending up in landfill. “Just because your company doesn’t need the tech, it’s likely someone else does. Circularity First specialises in the redistribution of tech and we’ve been helping rebuild schools in Ukraine, extending the life of computers in the process.”
3. Lose sustainability in the story
A common theme among speakers was the need to de-jargonise sustainability. Kasia Morgan, head of sustainability, Exodus Travels, revealed the adventure operator saw lower rates of engagement when its marketing communications were “pure sustainability content”.
She shared five key principles used by the operator, which include putting the customer experience first; being honest and modest; using plain English; avoiding ‘catch all’ claims; and claims that could be inadvertently misconstrued by customers even if the intention behind them was honourable. “Our marketing language now is much more aligned with holidays – we thrive through travel and we want our destinations to thrive too. Our kind of travelling can be life-affirming, awe-inspiring, horizon-expanding, that’s the message we want to get across.”
This was echoed by Paul Conroy, head of partnerships, Byway, who said when the flight-free travel company started five years ago, all its communications were about sustainability. “Now that’s in the minority,” he said. “Instead, our comms are about the joy of slow travel overland.”
4. Do something else instead of planting trees
There are much more effective ways to safeguard the future of travel and tourism, recommended Daniel Turner, director, Animondial, who focused on the interconnectedness of climate regulation, freshwater and biodiversity. “These things work together,” he said. “You have to focus on all three, or your ecosystem collapses.” The time [years] needed for trees to grow meant there were better areas for immediate focus, he advised. “Look at the country / region specific-level and focus on its priorities for conservation,” he said, highlighting Exodus Travels as a good example of a small-group adventure business, which had recognised that nature must come first.
5. Sell authentic Indigenous tourism
The growth of Indigenous tourism brings many opportunities and benefits, said Lethabo-Thabo Royds, head of content and programme, World Travel & Tourism Council. But it has to be Indigenous-led, she urged. One of her examples was the concerns raised by the Sami people about cultural representation in the original Frozen animation film. They reached out to Disney, and as a result of this advocacy, the Sami people were involved in creating Frozen 2, resulting in a more accurate and respectful portrayal of their culture. “It is so much more respectful when you share actual Indigenous culture rather than with those appropriating it.” As a starting point, Royds recommended travel agents turn to Indigenous organisations such as New Zealand Maori Tourism and the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada
to find the best experiences for clients.
6. Small changes cause a ripple effect
It’s the little things you champion that inspire clients, suggested Tudor Morgan, vice-president, sustainability and industry relations, HX (Hurtigruten Expeditions). He highlighted three recycling initiatives that had resonated with the expedition cruise line’s guests. Every sale of its reusable Ocean Bottle funds the collection of 1,000 ocean-bound plastic bottles in weight. The line partners with organisations to open collection points in areas where plastic pollution is worst, and enable collectors to exchange plastic for money. Since 2019, the line has helped rescue one billion plastic bottles before they reached the ocean.
Similarly, the line’s expedition jackets are crafted from 100% recycled polyester, from a traceable supply chain. And in partnership with Bracenet, the line is upcycling old fishing nets and marine debris into lanyards, bracelet and keychains for guests and crew.
“These stories really drive sustainability home for our guests. We’ve had some voluntarily spend four hours cleaning a beach with us instead of doing one of the excursions on offer,” Morgan said.
Summing up the day, Deer concluded: “These are ripple effects. The small things you do, people see, and want to emulate.”
