Speaking at WTM London alongside Greek tourism minister Vasilis Kikilias, Tui Group chief executive Sebastian Ebel said the industry should take pride in playing a leading role in tackling the biggest challenges facing the world.
Together, Ebel and Kikilias provided an update on the partners’ Destination Co-Lab in Rhodes, which Tui and Greece hope will become an internationally recognised blueprint for sustainable tourism transformation.
"We have entered a decade of sustainable transformation," said Ebel. "This is particularly true for the tourism sector – an industry that, of course, relies heavily on intact natural environment and fair social participation. For us at Tui, this is not a threat. It’s an opportunity."
Set up earlier this year, the Co-Lab project – which is being run in partnership with authorities in Greece’s south Aegean region – will develop, test and hone sustainability issues, with a view to duplicating them and scaling them up in other destinations.
Ebel’s predecessor Fritz Joussen, launching the project, said Tui and Greece’s government wanted to create the first-ever "fully sustainable destination", one he said could be a "role model for global expansion".
Early focuses included improving waste and water treatment in Rhodes, as well as recycling. Broader aims revolve around conserving resources, creating new jobs locally, preserving and restoring biodiversity and reducing the ecological footprint of tourism to the island.
"We have a sustainability track record that we are proud of," said Ebel. "And we are committed to leading the industry in the future. Sustainability is a top priority on my agenda."
Tui will in the coming weeks launch a new sustainability agenda, which Ebel said would serve as an "ambitious roadmap" for its objectives.
"We will drive down our emissions and the use of resources," he continued. "We will massively boost local participation in the destinations we operate in – making sure local communities benefit more from the success of our industry."
