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'Doing nothing "because consumers don't demand it" is not good enough'

Sustainability
Harold Goodwin
21 November 2024

The exceptional recent flooding seen in Spain, the extreme summer temperatures in the Mediterranean and the global protests against tourist – none of this is unforeseen. We’ve been talking about these things for at least the past 20 years.

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Carbon measuring and reporting needs to be standardised, says Intrepid Travel's Hazel McGuire (Credit: iStock / doidam10)

But we’ve reached a point where we all need to do something about it now, because it will only get worse.

The UK travel industry has a unique opportunity to make a difference. We’re one of the world’s top ten source markets for tourism, sending more than 20 million people away every year.

If everyone in the travel, tourism and hospitality sectors took responsibility for ensuring those trips were as sustainable as possible, we could be part of the solution.

I’ve taught postgraduates and adults for many years, and carried out consultancy work writing policies on these topics and guiding organisations on how to tackle them.