We’re running out of time: allow the industry to take responsibility and drive the sustainable tourism agenda

In the first six months of his mandate, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, EU Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, laid a strong foundation to build a more sustainable, competitive, and innovative tourism sector.

The development of an EU Sustainable Tourism Strategy will be a cornerstone to realising Tzitzikostas’ ambitions, and Travalyst is thankful for the involvement in the consultation process to date. Other concrete steps to make Europe’s tourism industry more sustainable, such as the EASA Flight Emissions Label (FEL), PEFCR for accommodations and seamless single-ticketing for cross-border rail travel, are also taking shape.

The bigger picture isn’t as rosy.

But looking at the wider EU climate agenda, beyond the remit of Commissioner Tzitzikostas but still impacting the tourism industry, we see a less rosy picture. Political commitments to implement the EU Green New Deal are wavering. This combined with the uncertainty and delays created by reopening discussions on already agreed or nearly finalised legislation, for example the Omnibus proposal and Green Claims Directive, is deeply worrying.

Politics is volatile by nature, however, a somewhat predictable regulatory outlook is key to encouraging long term investments, especially when it comes to sustainability and green tech. Legislation has the power to serve as a stabilising force to unlock investment needed to drive business plans and innovation. When colleagues asked me, what will the change in the US government mean for sustainability, my (probably too) optimistic answer was: “While we will see a change in prioritisation and no-doubt push back, regulation and climate targets embedded in legislation will provide the necessary stability and absorb political volatility…”

It’s therefore unsurprising that companies cut back on much-needed sustainability commitments and pause investments in sustainability innovation. They are unable to make solid business cases in a landscape lacking regulatory guidance and increased scrutiny from national authorities.”

This is unnecessary and shortsighted.

Ongoing corporate commitments and investment are needed to support policy objectives and create real change. Tourism and travel tech companies are demonstrating genuine leadership by developing new green technologies, AI innovation, building credible methodologies to display more sustainable travel options and experimenting with sustainable business models. They should be given the space to continue this path of innovation and have confidence that their efforts and investments will not be impacted by ad hoc political and last-minute regulatory u-turns.

If we want to accelerate climate action in tourism, political leadership and a positive investment climate are non-negotiable. Building the systems to support flight emissions labelling, rolling out accommodation footprint standards, scaling cross-border rail ticketing and implementing a comprehensive EU Sustainable Tourism Strategy are achievable goals. But only if we allow the industry room to take responsibility and drive the sustainable tourism agenda in support of the EU’s policy agenda.

Europe’s tourism industry is ready.

Over the summer, Travalyst brought together key industry groups (supported by UN Tourism), including GBTA, GSTC, Travel Foundation, WSHA and WTTC to launch a Call on Climate Action for the industry. The aim is to accelerate climate action and help shape a more resilient, regenerative, and future-fit sector by 2030 and beyond, building on the ambition outlined in the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism. Yearly progress assessments are scheduled to track the impact of this call to action, starting with COP30.

If policy objectives do not translate into market adoption that involves and allows for testing, pivoting and consumer research for example, trust will be lost from the willing and brave tourism operators and industry. When the right conditions are in place for fostering innovation, investment and industry collaboration, sustainable tourism will become a competitive advantage.