Photo by Erlend Ekseth on Unsplash
UNWTO | Tourism Embraces the Circular Economy: A Path to Sustainability
How the circular economy is playing out in the tourism sector? It’s actually a really interesting area, and it’s cool to see how it’s starting to shift things.
Basically, the idea is to move away from the old “take-make-waste” approach that tourism has often relied on, and move towards a circular system where resources are reused and waste is minimized. This isn’t just about being environmentally friendly; it’s also about making the industry more resilient and innovative.
Think about it: the tourism industry is huge and has a lot of different parts to it. The goal is to make better use of all the stuff used to deliver services. The COVID-19 crisis really highlighted the need to rethink how things are produced and consumed, and that’s where the circular economy comes in. It’s about making tourism more sustainable, but also about creating new opportunities for businesses.
For example, tourism businesses can become more competitive by finding new ways to innovate, by differentiating their offerings and diversifying their income streams. And as governments and investors focus more on environmental and social responsibility, adopting these practices is becoming increasingly important.
It’s not just for businesses either. Destinations can also benefit by boosting their sustainable development, generating jobs and creating more inclusive local value chains. And even tourists have a role to play by traveling with more intention and leaving a positive impact. It could actually transform the whole tourism scene by encouraging everyone to change their behavior.
There are some really concrete initiatives that are supporting this shift, like:
- The Global Tourism Plastics Initiative, which is working to tackle the root causes of plastic pollution by encouraging the elimination of unnecessary plastics and promoting reuse.
- The Global Roadmap for Food Waste Reduction in Tourism, which focuses on reducing food waste as a way to make food systems more sustainable.
These initiatives are part of a broader effort to support sustainable tourism, and it’s all happening under the umbrella of the One Planet Sustainable Tourism Programme.
But moving to a circular system isn’t something that’s going to happen overnight. It needs active collaboration between the public and private sectors, and effective policies and funding. It’s a big undertaking, but the potential to make tourism more sustainable and resilient is definitely there.