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The Center of Expertise Leisure, Tourism & Hospitality (CELTH) has today signed the 'Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism' as a launch partner. In this way, CELTH shows internationally that it is actively committed to achieving the climate objectives for the leisure sector as agreed in the Paris Climate Agreement. CELTH is already making important steps in this area with its Responsible Destinations Agenda and a Sustainability Research Agenda and likes to develop new initiatives with partners to achieve the climate ambitions as a sector.
The 'Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism' unites the tourism industry worldwide for a common path to a climate neutral sector. The statement was launched today at the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow. The declaration is an initiative of UNWTO, UNEP, Tourism Declares a Climate Emergency, The Travel Foundation and VisitScotland.
Menno Stokman, managing director of CELTH: “The 'Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism' provides a strong context and a global ecosystem within which CELTH and its knowledge and education partners (Breda University of Applied Sciences, NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences and HZ University of Applied Sciences) can be of value to the broad hospitality domain, worldwide and in the Netherlands, with the development of knowledge, insights, methodologies and concrete tools. In this way we want to help the sector to make an optimal contribution to the major social tasks.” According to Stokman, action and international cooperation are urgently needed because the sector is vulnerable to climate change and at the same time also contributes to greenhouse gas emissions: “The tasks for the hospitality domain are urgent because the emissions must be halved by 2030. Also from our domain.”
International network
With the signing of the Glasgow Declaration, CELTH commits to halving tourism emissions in the next decade and zero emissions as soon as possible, but in any case before 2050. By signing, CELTH becomes part of an international network committed to an urgent and coordinated international climate action in tourism. This is urgently needed because the latest research by UNWTO/ITF shows that around 2030 the emissions as a result of tourism will increase significantly by 25%. By investing in knowledge and collaboration, CELTH takes an active role in knowledge development, research and the development and sharing of solutions. By deploying her network, she helps and supports the broad hospitality sector in achieving the Paris climate goals.
Agenda Responsible Destinations
CELTH is already investing in this theme through the development of the Responsible Destinations Agenda, a useful framework to help the hospitality domain in its sustainability task and thus a means to give substance to the Glasgow Declaration. With the Responsible Destinations Agenda, CELTH is emphatically contributing – based on the social values of the hospitality domain – to the transition and development tasks of areas and destinations at home and abroad. Based on the principles of systems thinking, the Responsible Destinations Agenda serves as a framework for developing new knowledge and expertise by focusing on integration in education and through applied and academic research. The Agenda also functions as a compass to provide destinations with insight into the relevant themes that are important for making responsible choices for sustainable development, and as a research and management agenda that can be tackled and implemented with partners at any desired level.
Sustainability Research Agenda
In addition, CELTH is investing, on behalf of the Dutch Taskforce for the Hospitality Sector, in the development of a Sustainability Research Agenda. It will be essential that the hospitality domain in the Netherlands proactively responds to all legislation and regulations that are intended to solve the climate crisis. This research will be used to help and guide the sector in the Netherlands in making it more sustainable; the insights and systems can also be provided to destinations and stakeholders elsewhere.
