Recommendations for the Transition to a Green Travel and Tourism Economy

Published on September 10, 2021

Recommendations were welcomed by G20 Tourism Ministers in May 2021 and include references to a circular economy for plastics.

The Recommendations showcase initiatives of destinations, tourism businesses and civil society which are leading by example in implementing the lines of action proposed by the One Planet Vision and thus integrating sustainability in their recovery plans and strategies. Most of the initiatives featured are led by partners of the One Planet Sustainable Tourism Programme (see table below) which are creating proof of concept for the transition to a green travel and tourism economy to be recognized as the pathway for sustainable and resilient growth.

CASES FROM ONE PLANET SUSTAINABLE TOURISM PROGRAMME PARTNERS
Green Transition of Tourism for Planet	Biodiversity Conservation	Page 11	Conservation gains at risk as COVID-19 reduced the number of patrols in Indonesia (The Long Run)
	Biodiversity Conservation	Page 12	Investing in nature-based blue carbon offsets through mangrove restoration in Mexico (Iberostar Group)
	Climate Action	Page 13	The decarbonization of tourism in action: The case of Valencia (Visit Valencia)
		Page 14	Scotland embraces a low-carbon pathway for tourism (VisitScotland)
		Page 15	Reforesting oceans and regenerating a healthy climate: the Australian Marine Permaculture project (Intrepid Travel)
Green Transition of Tourism for Prosperity	Circular Economy	Page 17	TUI Group is taking concrete actions to integrate circularity into its business (TUI Group)
	Circular Economy	Page 18	France supports the Global Tourism Plastics Initiative in COVID times (Ministry of Environment of France)
	Governance and Finance	Page 20	Argentina chairs the Group of Friends for Sustainable Consumption and Production (One Planet Secretariat)
Green Transition of Tourism for People	Public Health	Page 23	Recommendations for the tourism sector to continue taking action on plastic pollution during COVID-19 recovery (GTPI)
Green Transition of Tourism for People	Social Inclusion	Page 26	Grootbos private nature reserve supports communities in Cape Floral Kingdom, South Africa (The Long Run)

The COVID-19 pandemic has raised awareness of the importance of a healthy environment as a natural barrier for future pandemics, notably in the case of zoonotic diseases. A healthy environment is also directly connected with the competitiveness of the tourism sector and in many destinations conservation efforts largely depend on tourism revenue. Supporting such conservation efforts can enable a greener recovery.