by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 4:23 PM ET, Wed June 20, 2018
The World Tourism Organization is calling on the tourism industry to take more immediate action to combat climate change and biodiversity loss.
UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili made the plea during the 30th joint meeting of its commissions for South Asia and Asia-Pacific, which just wrapped up today.
Adding his voice to that of the host country of Fiji, Pololikashvili advocated for stronger partnerships and incentives for governments, businesses and crucially tourists themselves to make a difference in climate action efforts.
According to a statement issued by UNWTO, Pololikashvili made clear that sound policies must be built upon accurate evidence, requiring the tourism sector to better measure its impact on sustainability.
Pololikashvili also acknowledged that some progress has been, including the UNWTO's development of a statistical framework to measure sustainable tourism.
The remarks came as part of a regional seminar focused on the impacts of tourism on sustainable development efforts in the region and globally. The seminar featured dialogue on how tourism policies, partnerships and investments can tackle climate change and biodiversity loss.
The gathering was the first Joint Commission meeting held in a Pacific island nation. It highlighted the need for developing island countries to collaborate on actionable policies, with measurable results, to address climate change and biodiversity protection within the tourism sector.
For its part, the UNWTO pledged to raise further awareness regarding climate change's impacts and effects on tourism.
"This is the perfect place to have this conversation on climate change, as Fiji continues to lead the efforts on climate resilience and sustainability not only within the country but in the entire region," said Pololikashvili. "This was also demonstrated during the Global Climate Summit COP 23, when the government of Fiji committed to the development of sustainable tourism as a tool to tackle climate change."
A similar message was recently issued from the annual World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) Global Summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Speaking at the April event, Patricia Espinosa, the executive secretary of U.N. Climate Change said the travel and tourism industry has a major role to play in combatting climate change.
"While climate change itself poses significant risks to some tourism destinations, in many of the most high-risk areas, tourism can provide opportunities for communities to build resilience to its impacts," said Espinosa. "At the same time, as a fast-growing sector, travel and tourism has a responsibility to ensure this growth is sustainable and sits within the parameters set by the Paris Agreement. I call on players across the sector to join us in the move towards a climate neutral world."
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