A new global tourism coalition, announced at COP26, aims to drive a more sustainable future for the industry

A new global tourism coalition, announced at COP26, aims to drive a more sustainable future for the industry

The global tourism industry, of the world's carbon footprint, could be getting a rebranding. At COP26, speakers from around the world came together to celebrate the launch of a new coalition through the Sustainable Tourism Center (STGC) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. At the summit, they discussed how to transform the travel sector into an industry spearheading the way for a more sustainable future. From depleting local resources to creating pollution and waste problems, there are plenty of reasons the travel industry has, in the past, been identified as a major obstacle to mitigating the effects of climate change. But today, that could be set to change. As Felipe Calderón, former president of Mexico, put it in a COP26 panel discussion, announcing the coalition: "Tourism represents a real challenge for climate change." But it also "represents one of the greatest opportunities for human development." Before the pandemic, families were dependent upon tourism for their income; women and those in middle and low-income countries more than others. Transforming the industry, he, and other attendees agreed, could prove essential to ensuring not just environmental sustainability, but also the sustainability of local economies in a modernizing world. "Tourism is a vital driver for the