The tourism industry is arriving at COP31 with a clear message: show the receipts. Five years after the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism, sector leaders say they have enough commitments and need evidence of progress instead.
The 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference begins in Antalya, Türkiye, on November 9 and runs through November 20. Co-hosted with Australia, the event is being labeled the implementation COP. This label follows the stalemate at COP30 in Belém, Brazil, where parties failed to agree on a path forward despite promises to publish voluntary roadmaps for moving away from fossil fuels and protecting forests.
Measurement gaps hinder progress
Radisson Hotel Group sustainability executive Sven Wiltink highlighted the lack of standardized data as a major barrier. He noted that emissions, water usage, energy consumption, and waste are measured inconsistently across the industry. Without common metrics, Wiltink argued that comparisons between companies are meaningless and sustainability claims remain unverifiable.
This call for better data coincides with the fifth anniversary of the Glasgow Declaration. The initiative has gathered more than 900 signatories. Jeremy Smith, a co-author of the declaration, said revised operational guidelines will be released at the conference. The goal is to reduce the reporting burden on companies and encourage those that previously stayed out to join.
Urgency of adaptation and funding
Susanne Etti, sustainability lead at Intrepid Travel, said the sector needs electrification and falling emissions rather than more frameworks. She emphasized that resilience, adaptation, and loss and damage funding have become more urgent after a year marked by extreme heat, wildfires, and flooding.
Booking Holdings sustainability executive Danielle D’Silva agreed that the industry can do more on both adaptation and emissions reductions. Tourism is scheduled to have a thematic slot on November 18, inside a day focused on human and social development. This marks the third year running that the sector has received dedicated attention at the conference.
Travel operators are now looking for tangible outcomes from the Antalya talks. The voluntary roadmaps released earlier this week are designed to help policymakers implement existing commitments through national policies and investments. Industry leaders hope these documents will indicate the focus of the forthcoming negotiations and lead to measurable results.
Source: Skift
