The Travel Foundation

A big thank you to all those who have supported and worked with us this year! It's been a busy and productive year in our mission to advocate for and enable a better future for tourism destinations - with major research reports published, climate action plans supported, training workshops delivered, far-reaching capacity building initiatives launched, new collaborations built and more. Read highlights from our year here: https://lnkd.in/gfqNdbdy #sustainabletourism #tourismindustry

In case you missed these during the year, here are some of the big news stories and features we shared our insight in: BBC Travel explored the summer of overtourism, and spoke to our CEO, Jeremy Sampson - https://lnkd.in/eBh37uWJ The World Economic Forum covered the Travel Foundation in its sustainable tourism article - https://lnkd.in/ez7eBTRD The New York Times reflected on travel emissions, ahead of COP29, and quoted Jeremy Sampson - https://lnkd.in/g5S7PY8R Inverse wrote about VR tourism, with insight from Elke Dens - https://lnkd.in/eGi8uK_q Georgina Davies wrote for City Nation Place about creating travel itineraries that have a positive impact on locations - https://lnkd.in/e9RU4zr3 It's great to see the media and the travel industry making sustainable tourism an ongoing topic in their travel news coverage. #TourismIndustry #Overtourism #DestinationMarketing #TravelTech

We're incredibly grateful to Holiday Extras for their continued support through their annual Christmas campaign (see the back of their Christmas card - picture below). Their contributions make a real difference to our charitable work. If your company is looking to support a cause connected to travel and the wellbeing of destinations, we'd love to hear from you. These donations are vital for helping us create positive change.

We’re proud to have partnered with Travel Counsellors on their 'Enriching Escapes' initiative. This is a milestone redefining how travel can be both memorable and climate-friendly. Together, we’ve developed a low-carbon itinerary framework with a fresh approach to travel: it prioritises local, immersive, and sustainable experiences while reducing carbon footprints. Each Enriching Escape itinerary embraces: - Low-impact accommodations and transport options - Meaningful connections with local communities - Authentic, locally sourced cuisine This partnership shows how the travel industry can innovate to meet the demands of a climate-conscious future. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/e3QZ-Vr3 #SustainableTravel #LowCarbonTravel #TravelInnovation

We're thrilled to announce our new partnership with Nevada Division of Tourism (Travel Nevada), which will maximise the benefits of tourism across the state: https://lnkd.in/eAcEmWBA Nevada will have its first state-wide destination stewardship plan, focused on economic growth, community resilience, and environmental protection. We'll explore how to spread tourism benefits to rural communities whilst maintaining local people's quality of life and looking after the landscape. #DestinationStewardship #ResponsibleTourism #Nevada #DestinationManagement

Tomorrow is Civil Aviation Day, so we're reflecting on some key sustainability measures in the airline world: - The International Civil Aviation Organization has a target of net-zero CO2 emissions from international flights by 2050. - South Asia's first large-scale Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) facility will be built in Punjab, Pakistan. It will convert waste oils, such as cooking oil, into biofuel. - Finnair wants to reduce its carbon emissions by 34.5% by 2033. This target fits the Science Based Targets Initiative. - In the UK, the Department for Transport (DfT), United Kingdom has launched a new Jet Zero Taskforce. The SAF Mandate has also been signed into law, with a big target: by 2040, 22% of jet fuel must come from sustainable sources. - In Australia, Boeing, LanzaJet and Jet Zero Australia are all working on SAF initiatives. - Lufthansa has rolled out its Green Fares option for worldwide travel. - Researchers at Heriot-Watt University and American University of Sharjah recommend developing 'green flight paths' to show and analyse the potential of SAF. - Loganair Limited and Heart Aerospace have partnered to explore the potential of hybrid-electric aircraft. - Skyscanner continues to offer Greener Choices options for customers. #CivilAviationDay #SustainableAviation #Decarbonisation

We’re pleased to see the Preferred Travel Group Climate Action Plan published. This marks a significant milestone for us as it’s the first corporate climate action plan we've helped to create. This sets a bold vision for Preferred Travel Group to halve emissions by 2030 and achieve net-zero by 2050. It also establishes a framework to help their member properties match global climate goals. The journey involved meeting priorities, supporting practices that make an impact, and encouraging meaningful change across the hospitality sector. Our CEO, Jeremy Sampson, says: “The collaborative, holistic approach to our partnership has driven targeted support from the Travel Foundation, including climate action training, advocacy, and our invaluable critical friend support for planning. This has not only enabled Preferred Travel Group to develop a climate action plan but has also secured deep commitment and active engagement from their management team. "We have also empowered PTG to pinpoint strategic actions to address broader impacts as they guide their member hotels toward sustainability. PTG is now well-positioned to take a leadership role in the tourism and climate space.”

We encourage you to check out Finland's new (updated, second edition) climate action plan (link below). Visit Finland's Liisa Kokkarinen and team have consistently been leaders in the climate action space, and have worked with experts from the Travel Foundation (including Terry Brown and Jeremy Smith) as well as Atlas Juvakka on this plan. It prioritises enabling action, taking practical steps, and targeting the impacts that matter - often working outside traditional tourism silos. What makes this plan stand out? 1. It reports progress: This update highlights achievements so far while reaffirming clearly defined actions and objectives, providing transparency and accountability. 2. It’s highly collaborative: The plan is not just about what the national tourism organisation is doing but how the wider industry is actively involved – and can be empowered further. 3. It’s practical and catalytic: With simple, actionable suggestions, it helps those not yet engaged take their first steps across all 20 objectives, encouraging broader participation. Visit Finland and 75 tourism operators are signed up to the #GlasgowDeclaration, and Finland was one of the countries that committed, at last month's COP in Baku, to further the role of tourism in supporting national climate goals. With this climate action plan, we can see that direction of travel. And on the topic of travel, here is a quote from Liisa (translated into English): "In the future, emissions from tourism will increase unless the industry's unsustainable growth and traffic-related emissions are better regulated. No country alone restricts international air traffic without economic disadvantages. Therefore, fair regulation is needed."

You might have noticed some travel and tourism organisations leaving X (formerly known as Twitter) in the past few months, for various reasons, including a rise in offensive content and spam. You've probably reflected on whether your organisation should keep its account, move to somewhere new, or do both; it's a big decision for marketers, senior leaders and the board. Social media helps spread a message and reach audiences on key issues like responsible tourism, eco travel, corporate social responsibility and climate change. It's a great way to follow key events as they happen, like COP29 and World Travel Market (WTM) London. We're monitoring the travel industry on Bluesky Social and Threads (from Meta and linked to Instagram), two newer social media platforms seen as alternatives to X. We'd love to know if your organisation has set up accounts on these channels, even if you've just secured your username and not posted any content yet. #DestinationMarketing #TravelMarketing #ResponsibleTourism

With AI potentially able to make tourism more sustainable, you might be interested in next Tuesday's online workshop from UN Tourism and Lithuania's Ministry of the Economy and Innovation, in association with the OECD - OCDE: https://lnkd.in/dAQ-NQvu 'Shaping Tomorrow’s Tourism Today: The Power of AI Begins Here' will look at how data and AI could help the industry. There will be case studies and presentations from Lithuania, Portugal, Germany, Korea, Indonesia, Singapore, France and Spain. Register now for this virtual event, taking place on 3 December. #AI #TourismIndustry #TourismInnovation #TravelMarketing