A note to responsible travellers

The announcement followed similar investments earmarked for the kingdom’s travel tourism sector valued at US$800 billion, providing even greater opportunity to realise the industry’s unique potential to drive the sustainability agenda. This rate of development, supported by plans to grow annual visitors to 100 million and accelerate revenues from 3 per cent of GDP to 10 per cent, not only reflects national ambitions to become one of the top five tourist destinations in the world, but also its accelerated and determined efforts towards responsible tourism.

This approach was most evident in recent mandates to target net zero emissions by 2060 – a steppingstone to not only ensuring we preserve and maintain the destinations we are developing, but also taking it a step further towards regeneration. The target helps place the kingdom at the heart of international efforts towards environmental targets, including the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the circular carbon economy (CCE) targets to manage greenhouse emissions across the world.

Armed with these ambitions, particular attention is being placed on eco-conscious travellers who not only have a thirst for new experiences but are increasingly aware of their impact on delicate ecosystems and communities. Successful destinations of the future, as we explored at WTTC, must both meet these evolving demands and empower visitors through eco-education and hands-on experiences to help them understand their role in the bigger picture.

If we pivot and direct growth in the right way, we can help save the planet by identifying key sustainable values, having the right policies, governance, and measurement structures in place, while embracing technology and data.

With so many global uncertainties, it is all too easy for sustainability to slip down the agenda. But it is our collective responsibility that must prevent this from happening.