Towards a Circular Tourism Economy: Drivers and strategies for a green transition
Tourism has been one of the sectors hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. The crisis resulted in a 70 to 75 percent decline in tourist arrivals (UNWTO, 2021) and put over 174 million jobs at risk (WTTC, 2020). While there is an understandable desire to return to the status quo as case numbers fall and vaccination rates increase in some parts of the world, the recovery from the pandemic is offers a critical opportunity to reflect on how to transform the sector to be more sustainable and resilient to future crises.
The disruption caused by COVID-19 has provided space for decision makers to pause and re-evaluate existing linear business models. This is the time to increase understanding about how to apply the Circular Economy (CE) as a framework for guiding a sustainable and resilient recovery of the travel and tourism industry.
The pandemic demonstrated the speed with which the tourism sector was able to adapt operations in unprecedented circumstances. This guidance note aims to explore the core drivers motivating a circular transition,present opportunities and challenges the sector is facing, and highlight key strategic recommendations for action.
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