CASE STUDY
A net zero roadmap for travel & tourism
A decarbonization framework and concrete actions for Travel & Tourism companies to achieve 2050 targets.
3-MINUTE READ
CASE STUDY
A decarbonization framework and concrete actions for Travel & Tourism companies to achieve 2050 targets.
3-MINUTE READ
Climate change is recognized as one of humankind’s greatest challenges. However, despite the increasing number of commitments to limit global warming to 1.5°C, governments and businesses have been slow to take meaningful action.
In the Travel & Tourism sector, the journey toward a net zero future has begun. However, the path varies widely across the sector’s industries.
Tackling climate change head-on as part of its mission to maximize the inclusive and sustainable growth potential of the sector, the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) sought to provide climate guidance to its members and the industry worldwide. Against this background, WTTC decided to develop a roadmap, refining the sector narrative and decarbonization pathway, in the run-up to COP26. Building on this initiative, they have also initiated a second version of the report for COP29.
WTTC joined forces with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and Accenture and collaborated with key global Travel & Tourism representatives. The goal: to provide more transparency, guidance and recommendations on how to decarbonize.
Our Accenture team analyzed 250 public reports and conducted focus groups and interviews with experts from more than 60 companies across Travel & Tourism industries—accommodation, aviation, cruise, tour operators and travel intermediaries. Based on this research, we crafted an overview of the current state of the sector’s decarbonization commitments for the report.
With WTTC and UNEP, we defined a climate roadmap to accelerate the sector’s decarbonization journey. A target corridor framework suggests corridors for three clusters—easy to abate, medium to abate and hard to abate—with carbon reduction targets and milestones. An action framework offers a structured guide for getting started.
Together, we also developed a call to action for the private sector:
This updated roadmap is a call to action for every business in Travel & Tourism. The sector is moving forward; but we mustn’t rest on the laurels.
Julia Simpson / WTTC President & CEO
The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) launched the second edition of its Net Zero Roadmap for Travel & Tourism at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan. The report shows that the number of global Travel & Tourism businesses setting climate targets has surged by 27% in the past three years, with 53% now committed to emissions reduction, up from 42% in 2021. Developed in collaboration with Accenture and supported by the Azerbaijan Tourism Board, this edition underscores the urgency of climate action as the sector works towards net zero by 2050.
Proposed Target Corridor Framework
To address the need for further guidance and accelerate climate action, this study presents a new decarbonization target corridor framework with three corridors:
Travel & Tourism businesses should set targets across all three timeframes for a balanced and phased approach. The roadmap provides key decarbonization levers and action items for each industry.
The target corridors show that ambitious, tailored decarbonization strategies could enable some Travel & Tourism industries to reach net zero before 2050.
Call to Action
To heighten ambitions, businesses should:
The report, which incorporates feedback from a wide range of peer reviewers, also lists tangible action items for each industry, with time horizons and potential impact.
With its new guidance and a toolkit to support Travel & Tourism companies on their decarbonization journey, WTTC is playing its part in addressing climate change. Plus, it is reinforcing the importance of collaboration across the sector to achieve 2050 net zero targets and help address this pressing global challenge.