Action frameworks driving transformation

Summary

Jorge Laguna presented the work of the "One Planet" Network and shared how, through the definition of frameworks for action and voluntary commitments, especially those led by the Network's Sustainable Tourism Program, it seeks to promote sustainable production and consumption in tourism to transform policies and businesses. In this regard, he added: "Tourism is one of the key sectors in the Global Strategy for Sustainable Consumption and Production 2023 - 2030".

Kees Jan Boonen presented Booking.com's sustainability program, the creation of which responds to the growing demand from travelers for more responsible tourism options. Booking.com currently identifies on its platform those accommodations that are taking steps towards sustainable practices on its platform in terms of renewable energy, food utilization, water consumption, dealing with local communities and the environment.

Samantha Kenny explained how the World Wildlife Fund is working to reduce food waste, including actions in tourism given the sector's cross-cutting value chain and its transformative potential. She also highlighted the collaboration carried out with One Planet to develop the Global Roadmap to Reduce Food Waste in Tourism and the creation of a toolkit for companies.

 
Wassim Daoud spoke about the importance of plastic reduction, recounting PONANT's experience eliminating single-use plastics, integrating reuse models and involving travelers, in line with the implementation of its commitment as a signatory to the Global Initiative on Plastics and Tourism.

 
José Juan Lorenzo shared the experience of Canary Islands Tourism in developing its Climate Action Plan within the framework of the implementation of the commitments proposed by the Glasgow Declaration for Climate Action to which they are signatories, as well as the support provided to companies in the sector so that they can measure their carbon emissions.

Tono Franco reiterated the complexity faced by tourism in addressing environmental challenges in tourism policies, which is why partnerships in destinations between public institutions are crucial, as are public-private partnerships. He stated that "it is important to create a framework for joint collaboration to give relevance to tourism activity from an integral vision. Every action leaves a footprint, which is why the tourism area must be empowered to know how to manage them."

 
Virginia Fernández-Trapa concluded by reiterating the important role of action frameworks in transforming tourism policies and practices and appealed to attendees to make use of them in order to accelerate change.