The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has today unveiled groundbreaking new data detailing the climate footprint of the global Travel & Tourism sector.

The findings were launched today at the global tourism body’s 22nd Global Summit in Riyadh by the World Travel & Tourism Council and the Saudi-based Sustainable Global Tourism Center.

In a world-first, this comprehensive research covers 185 countries across all regions and will be updated each year with the latest figures.

During her opening speech Julia Simpson, President & CEO of WTTC announced the findings of the Environmental & Social Research (ESR). In one of the largest research projects of its kind ever undertaken, WTTC can for the first time ever, accurately report and track the impact industries within the sector have on the environment.

Previous estimates have suggested that the global Travel & Tourism sector was responsible for up to 11% of all emissions. However, WTTC’s pioneering research shows that in 2019 the sector’s greenhouse gas emissions totalled just 8.1% globally.

The divergence of the sector’s economic growth from its climate footprint between 2010 and 2019 is evidence that Travel & Tourism’s economic growth is decoupling from its greenhouse gas emissions.

These emissions have been falling consistently since 2010 as the result of technological developments, as well as the introduction of a number of energy efficiency measures across industries within the sector.

Between 2010 and 2019 our sector’s GDP has grown on average 4.3% annually whilst its environmental footprint has only increased by 2.4%.

The broader Environmental & Social Research (ESR) will include measures of the sector’s impact against a range of indicators, including pollutants, energy sources, water use, as well as social data, including age, wage and gender profiles of Travel & Tourism related employment.

WTTC will continue to announce new data on how the sector fares against these indicators throughout 2023.

Governments around the world now have a tool to inform their decision-making and accelerate environmental change more accurately.