Tourexpi
According
to the latest UN Tourism data, international tourist arrivals have returned to
96% of pre-pandemic levels, with full recovery likely by the end of the year.
With further growth anticipated, there is a pressing need to look beyond
economic impacts of the sector and measure metrics relating to environmental
dependencies, community impact, employee wellbeing, and much more. However, the
sector currently lacks a unified Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG)
reporting framework, making it difficult for tourism companies and stakeholders
to measure, compare, and meaningfully communicate their sustainability efforts
and impacts.
Scaling
up support for ESG
To
address this, UN Tourism, in collaboration with the
University of Oxford (Oxford SDG Impact Lab), has been developing the first
harmonized ESG Framework for Tourism Businesses. easyJet holidays has been part
of the project from its inception and is now scaling up its support to
accelerate the next critical phases. Through this strategic partnership,
easyJet holidays will play a key role in supporting the research and
development of the ESG Framework, including pilot testing with companies
worldwide, stakeholder engagement, and organization of awareness initiatives.
UN
Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili says: "UN Tourism is proud
to be working with easyJet holidays to address the vital need for a clear,
consistent ESG Framework for our sector. As we rollout this out, such
public-private collaboration play a key role in scaling up our efforts to
better understand and manage tourism's impacts at every level."
Garry
Wilson, easyJet holidays' Chief Executive Officer says: "We're extremely
proud to continue our partnership with UN Tourism, as a founding partner in
developing the first consistent ESG framework for the tourism industry.
We strongly believe in the power of collaboration, between the public and
private sector, as an important and effective driver of achieving our
Sustainable Development Goals."
Collaborative
effort and common statistics framework
The
development of the ESG Framework is being guided by extensive research, with
input from nearly 600 tourism companies worldwide to date. This comprehensive
approach ensures that the Framework addresses the real-world challenges and
opportunities facing the sector.
The
ESG Framework aligns closely with UN Tourism's "Statistical
Framework for Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism" (SF-MST), endorsed
by the United
Nations Statistical Commission with unanimous support from all 193 UN
Member States. MST establishes fundamental concepts, definitions, data
structures, and indicators for assessing tourism sustainability from the
international to the local levels. The ESG Framework extends these principles
to businesses, fostering greater alignment between public and private sector
data.
Image
Credit: © UN Tourism
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