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The Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism1 was launched at UNFCCC COP-26 in November 2021 by the World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism) and partners. It seeks to accelerate the engagement of the tourism sector and secure strong commitments to support the global goals to halve emissions over the next decade and reach net zero emissions as soon as possible before 2050.
The Glasgow Declaration was developed in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Travel Foundation, Tourism Declares and Visit Scotland, and involved a broad coalition of stakeholders, including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), in the cocreation process. The Declaration operates as a voluntary initiative to which tourism stakeholders can subscribe. The main commitment for signatories is to develop a climate action plan within 12 months from signing, outlining their ambition to support the global goals and the actions they plan to implement.
As of December 2023, over 850 tourism stakeholders have become signatories of the Declaration. In order to assist signatories in meeting their obligations and taking into account that the development of Climate Action Plans by tourism stakeholders is a pioneering field, UN Tourism is committed to offer guidance for the development of Climate Action Plans which should be aligned with the five pathways proposed by the Glasgow Declaration, namely: measure, decarbonize, regenerate, collaborate and finance.
This report is particularly targeting tourism destinations at the subnational level, which are developing their first Climate Action Plan, in particular local authorities and destination management organizations (DMOs). DMOs were originally institutions focused on the promotion of tourism. Nevertheless, in recent years their role has evolved to include aspects of destination management including sustainability. As a result, DMOs have a considerable role to play in driving climate action. DMOs can encourage tourism stakeholders to reduce their emissions or support them in adapting to the impacts of climate change.
Any climate planning a DMO undertakes would need to be aligned with the climate planning of its respective local authority or administration (be it a municipality, city or region). Therefore, the report aims at building a foundation for tourism destinations to take action, by presenting a review of various relevant reports and initiatives, all of which are focussed especially on climate change mitigation and adaptation at local level. None of the sources reviewed specifically focus on tourism, but as they all are designed for local authorities and other territorial organizations, they are pertinent for DMOs to gain an understanding of ongoing climate policy in their territory, when planning for climate action in tourism.
Various reports have been analysed in order to provide DMOs with relevant background information and support for climate action planning, including in particular for addressing three of the five Glasgow Declaration pathways at the local level: measure, decarbonize and regenerate (as they apply to adaptation). This document, however, does not seek to provide suggestions for the specific actions that a DMO or local authority might include in its Climate Action Plan, since those will depend on the local context. Instead, it provides guidance on the activities any organization should undertake in order to understand the needs, priorities and capacities at the local level.
The Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism1 was launched at UNFCCC COP-26 in November 2021 by the World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism) and partners. It seeks to accelerate the engagement of the tourism sector and secure strong commitments to support the global goals to halve emissions over the next decade and reach net zero emissions as soon as possible before 2050.
The Glasgow Declaration was developed in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Travel Foundation, Tourism Declares and Visit Scotland, and involved a broad coalition of stakeholders, including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), in the cocreation process. The Declaration operates as a voluntary initiative to which tourism stakeholders can subscribe. The main commitment for signatories is to develop a climate action plan within 12 months from signing, outlining their ambition to support the global goals and the actions they plan to implement.
As of December 2023, over 850 tourism stakeholders have become signatories of the Declaration. In order to assist signatories in meeting their obligations and taking into account that the development of Climate Action Plans by tourism stakeholders is a pioneering field, UN Tourism is committed to offer guidance for the development of Climate Action Plans which should be aligned with the five pathways proposed by the Glasgow Declaration, namely: measure, decarbonize, regenerate, collaborate and finance.
This report is particularly targeting tourism destinations at the subnational level, which are developing their first Climate Action Plan, in particular local authorities and destination management organizations (DMOs). DMOs were originally institutions focused on the promotion of tourism. Nevertheless, in recent years their role has evolved to include aspects of destination management including sustainability. As a result, DMOs have a considerable role to play in driving climate action. DMOs can encourage tourism stakeholders to reduce their emissions or support them in adapting to the impacts of climate change.
Any climate planning a DMO undertakes would need to be aligned with the climate planning of its respective local authority or administration (be it a municipality, city or region). Therefore, the report aims at building a foundation for tourism destinations to take action, by presenting a review of various relevant reports and initiatives, all of which are focussed especially on climate change mitigation and adaptation at local level. None of the sources reviewed specifically focus on tourism, but as they all are designed for local authorities and other territorial organizations, they are pertinent for DMOs to gain an understanding of ongoing climate policy in their territory, when planning for climate action in tourism.
Various reports have been analysed in order to provide DMOs with relevant background information and support for climate action planning, including in particular for addressing three of the five Glasgow Declaration pathways at the local level: measure, decarbonize and regenerate (as they apply to adaptation). This document, however, does not seek to provide suggestions for the specific actions that a DMO or local authority might include in its Climate Action Plan, since those will depend on the local context. Instead, it provides guidance on the activities any organization should undertake in order to understand the needs, priorities and capacities at the local level.
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