Phocuswright Europe 2022: Sustainability in the spotlight

The journey to a more sustainable travel industry will take time and the destination – if such a thing exists – requires navigating many more corners and bumps in the road. 

But there is no doubt momentum is moving in the right direction, inching us closer to what the Travalyst Coalition – the industry’s most prominent convening body on this topic – defines as “helping everyone explore our world in a way that protects both people and places, and secures a positive future for destinations and local communities for generations to come.”

In fact, efforts by travel sellers and platforms related to topics such as carbon emissions, renewable energy, overcrowding and supporting local communities have accelerated in the last few years.

Last fall Travalyst Coalition founding partner Booking.com began awarding its “Travel Sustainable” badge to properties that have met specified sustainability thresholds and added a filter to the platform so consumers can easily find those properties.

Google, which joined the Coalition last September, added a similar eco-certification badge for hotels and also displays carbon emission estimates in Google Flights search results – and along with Skyscanner has helped create a carbon emissions framework being adopted by all Travalyst members. 

There has also been news coming out of destinations, including a partnership between TUI Group and the government of Greece announced in January and a shift by a tourism organization on Vancouver Island from destination management to social enterprise. 

From the standpoint of investments, mobility companies focused on sustainable solutions have brought in huge amounts of capital, including Wisk Aero’s $450 million in funding from the Boeing Company in January and Volocopter’s $170 million Series E and Skyports’ $23 million in funding, both in March. And micro-mobility companies are also attracting investment – such as France’s shared bike platform Fifteen raising €40 million in March and Amsterdam-based Dott adding $70 million to its Series B in February. 

So what are the next milestones along this path to a sustainable travel and tourism industry - one that has more positive impacts on the environment and on communities?

At Phocuswright Europe 2022, June 27 to 29 in Amsterdam, we’ll hear from some of the people leading the way.

In a panel discussion on Center Stage, Travalyst executive director Sally Davey, Booking.com head of sustainability Danielle D’Silva, Google’s head of travel sustainability, global partnerships, Sebnem Erzan and Cat Jones, founder and CEO of Byway Travel will discuss how the industry can continue to make progress, including where they see opportunities for impactful change as well as where obstacles still remain. 

Click here to register for the event now.