[Lifestyle] Corona ... the call for more sustainable tourism after the pandemic!

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The Corona pandemic has paralyzed global tourism, in contrast, there is an increasing demand for a sustainable re-launch of this sector. How do the leaders of the tourism industry and major companies see the features of the future of travel around the world after this setback?

 

 

The problems caused by the growth of global tourism in recent years have been most evident: overcrowded cities, environmental degradation and high rates of carbon dioxide pollution from air travel. Today, voices are rising calling for a more sustainable restart of the travel sector following the Coronavirus pandemic.

 

In this context, the United Nations World Tourism Organization called for a "responsible recovery" of the tourism sector, with the aim of "achieving a balance between the needs of people, the planet, and prosperity."

 

This was inspired by the Berlin International Tourism Fair, which is being held from the ninth to the twelfth of this March under the slogan “Rethinking, Renewing and Restarting Tourism for a Better System”. Because of the pandemic, the world's largest travel exhibition will be held digitally for the first time in its history.

 

 

Rethinking the travel industry?

In an interview with DW, Martin Palas, a researcher at the Sustainable Tourism Center of the German University of Eberswald for Sustainable Development, considered that "the Corona pandemic was a moment of global shock that led to a rethink of the tourism sector that is accustomed to success." Balas told DW that matters such as environmental protection and tourism pressure, which had already posed challenges to tourism before the pandemic, are now the focus of more attention.

 

The German travel association DRV also sees the Coronavirus pandemic as an opportunity for greater sustainability in the tourism sector. In an interview with DW, the association member Ellen Madeker pointed out that sustainable travel is a "trend" that appeared years ago and that the tourism industry "has already responded and will continue to respond to it in the future," as she put it.

 

Major international tourism companies are preparing awareness campaigns aimed at raising travelers' awareness of the effects of travel. One of Germany's largest tourism companies is also introducing a new offer for sustainable travel in Europe, Egypt and Turkey. With the ability to travel long distances again, the volume of sustainable travel will expand, according to the company's chief sustainability officer Ulrike Braun.

 

The tourism industry is one of the sectors most affected by the Corona pandemic, with losses amounting to $ 1.3 billion during 2020 only, according to the World Tourism Organization. Millions of jobs are threatened by the pandemic. According to the latest report of the organization, between one hundred and one hundred and twenty million jobs are at stake in various parts of the world.

 

In Germany, the average vacation travel spend has fallen by nearly 40%, according to a recent study by the FUR. However, Ellen Madeker of the German travel association DRV fears that this will make the issue of revitalizing the sector by focusing on sustainable travel more difficult. "In order for the sector to implement such concepts and invest in sustainable infrastructure, the industry has to recover first," Madeker says.

 

Traveling with lower carbon emissions

 

Last summer, what sustainable tourism could look like emerged as people's choice to spend their vacations at home. For example, the Germans booked about 4 million more domestic flights than in 2019.

 

The number of flights and sea trips decreased dramatically in 2020, while the demand for camping trailers, caravans and bicycles increased. In the face of restrictions due to the pandemic, many travelers have also chosen more sustainable alternatives to their accommodations, as many have preferred vacation apartments or camping sites to hotels for security and health reasons.

 

In doing so, they have intentionally and unintentionally contributed to reducing carbon emissions, water consumption and waste production. Given the continuing travel restrictions, it is likely that this year's summer season will be spent the same way.

 

The researcher at the University of Eberswald Center for Sustainable Tourism, Martin Palace, does not believe that this trend will continue after the Corona pandemic, as he believes that the crisis will not be able to change the flow of travelers in the long term. But he said, "Maybe we will prefer to travel locally from time to time in the future."

 

 

 

 

The need for more sustainable options

There remains one dilemma that may not be resolved with the end of the Corona crisis, which is the failure of people to travel sustainably. Palace believes that the decline in offers for this type of trip has a role in this, as the percentage of approved offers as sustainable trips ranges between 2 and 5 of all tourism offers in Germany.

 

My Cabin, a start-up in southern Germany in the city of Constance, is trying to change that. The company connects nature-loving travelers to convenient hosting facilities. For example, a farmer can allow campers and travelers to camp in his field.

 

Company worker Lina Haas told DW that the pilot phase last summer was successful despite the pandemic. Starting in April, customers will be able to book accommodations through the company's website.

 

"People will practically have to rediscover travel for themselves and realize the value added from this type of travel," says Haas.