‘Travel has a duty to educate customers on sustainability,’ says Spain tourism chief
Will PayneThe tourism industry has a duty to educate and inform customers about destinations’ and travel companies’ sustainability initiatives, according to the general director of the Spanish Tourist Office.
Speaking during Spain’s inaugural Sustainability Day in London on Wednesday (26 April), Miguel Sanz said the industry "must work harder" to educate travellers on how to holiday sustainably.
"We need to, as an industry, help and inform people about the sustainable transformation of the tourism industry," he told delegates. "We need to educate travellers on how to travel sustainably – and that is a task we all have as an industry."
Sanz also warned the global travel sector "still has a long way to go" to achieve its 2050 net-zero emissions goals.
"We are not suddenly going to become a sustainable destination – or a sustainable industry – overnight," he added.
"We need to speed up the process to reach net zero in areas such as energy efficiency, water management, waste management and things that will make tourism a viable industry."
Sanz said Spain is "fully committed" to its sustainability transformation, from regional offices through to the national government.
He described how the Spanish government has allocated €1.9 billion from the EU’s Next Generation fund to aid the country’s sustainability initiatives since 2019.
"These funds go mainly to local authorities and destinations to implement projects that will help the destinations achieve this transformation, or at least push the transformation through the local tourism industry to a more sustainable future," Sanz added.
Last year, Spain saw visitor numbers recover to near pre-pandemic levels, with 2023 projected to reach "record-breaking" tourist expenditure and arrival figures.
"2023 will also be a year in which we have to speed up our way to sustainably, whether that be environmental, social or equitable," he added.
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