Sustainable holidays are an important part of a sustainable future as well as an attractive business proposition. Holidaymakers can recharge their batteries and operators make a profit while benefiting local communities and helping to protect the environment.

However, it’s clear that there are major challenges facing the tourism industry today. Resorts often put the very resources that they rely on at risk: over-development destroys pristine beaches, rivers and forests. Businesses which have poor workplace practices and which generate few benefits for the local community can reduce the friendly welcome that tourists are looking for. And the industry’s carbon emissions contribute to climate change, which at the same time threatens holiday destinations all over the world – from skiresorts to coastal regions.

Sustainable travel and tourism that genuinely rises to these challenges makes strong business sense. For example, lower consumption of resources can bring reduced costs, increased customer loyalty and new product innovation. 

Our work

We focus on the following key areas:

• Building a sustainable future for UK outbound tourism
  Our project Tourism 2023 is helping the UK outbound industry understand how to plan for its future. We’re exploring issues like how to deal with climate change, pressure on water and other natural resources, and what the UK customer might be looking for in 15 years' time. With the industry and other stakeholders we are developing a strategy to achieve a sustainable UK outbound travel and tourism industry.
• Influencing tour operators’ core strategy
  We work in partnership with major tour operators to show them how sustainability makes good business sense.  Read more about our work helping TUI Travel embed sustainability into their strategy-making process here. 
• Creating working examples of sustainable holiday developments 
  Our report Paradise Found identifies the key elements of a sustainable tourism development, highlighting good practice and showing how they can be both sustainable and profitable. We are working with the Minoan Group to create a sustainable tourism development in Crete. 
• Encouraging local sustainable tourism
  We offer ongoing advice to embed sustainability into VisitEngland’s emerging strategic planning processes.  We also advised VisitBritain during the development of Green Start – its entry-level programme designed to help tourism businesses become more sustainable. We are working with the policy and sustainable tourism leads in Wales, Scotland, England and Ireland to develop knowledge and co-operation on key issues such as common sustainable tourism standards. And we are working with South West Tourism to develop a futureproofed Regional Tourism Strategy.
• Developing sustainable, enjoyable travel
  We think overland travel has the potential to be a great part of a holiday. Our Overland Heaven project aims to encourage low-carbon travel by making it easier to get to Europe by road, rail and ship.

Contact us if you would like to join Eurostar and The Cooperative Travel as Overland Partners. 

Read about our other work on sustainable transport here.

News

Stephanie Draper joins Travel Weekly as a columnist
Read Stephanie’s latest column on our blog. 

Our partners

Tourism:
TUI Travel PLC
VisitEngland
South West Tourism
Minoan Group

Tourism 2023:
Thomas Cook
Carnival UK
BA
The Travel Foundation
ABTA
The Cooperative Travel

Transport:
BAA
Eurostar
FirstGroup
Land Rover Jaguar
Rail Safety and Standards Board 
 

Contacts

Vicky Murray
Stephanie Draper