Solimar International Committed to a Decade of Tourism Climate Action
Solimar International is proud to be a signatory of the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism.
The world’s dependence on fossil fuels, unsustainable land use, and wasteful consumption patterns drive climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss. Rebalancing the relationship with nature is critical to regenerating both its ecological health and our personal, social and economic well-being. It is also critical for tourism, which relies on and connects humans with flourishing ecosystems.
As a leading sustainable travel consulting and marketing firm, Solimar International has engaged with over 300 destinations and community leaders around the world to develop tourism-based initiatives that support communities and conservation. The local communities that we work with are on the front lines of climate change: contributing least to the crisis, they are facing the worst consequences. We are committed to helping these communities adapt, mitigate, and transform in the face of these impacts—from promoting regenerative tourism that centers community and nature first, to guiding tourism businesses in adopting nature-based solutions—and we call on the countries and parties present at COP26 to do the same. Our planet cannot wait.
How do Solimar’s activities reinforce our commitment to sustainable tourism?
Solimar International has long been working on the tourism development projects tackling challenges within sustainable tourism development, regenerative tourism, climate resilience, community-based tourism, cultural heritage, nature conservation, and more. So it was a natural thing for Solimar to join The Glasgow Declaration to stand next to some of the most influential organizations in the sector to fight climate change.
The Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism was officially launched on November 4, 2021 at the COP 26 UN Climate Change Conference. The aim of the pledge is to raise the climate ambition of tourism stakeholders and secure strong actions to support the global commitment to halve emissions by 2030 and reach Net Zero as soon as possible before 2050. Transforming tourism through climate action is crucial for the sector’s competitiveness, sustainability and resilience.
The intent of the Glasgow Declaration is to urge all travel and tourism stakeholders to unite and commit to aligning the sector’s climate ambitions with scientific recommendations and international agreements.
By defining a clear and consistent sector-wide message and scientific approach to climate action; outlining the pathways and specific actions that will accelerate tourism’s ability to transform tourism and achieve Net Zero and encouraging signatories across all sectors of tourism to demonstrate their public support for scaling up the sector’s response to the climate emergency the Glasgow Declaration intends to intensify the attention to climate action in tourism industry.
The Declaration aims to:
- Define a clear and consistent sector-wide message and approach to climate action in the coming decade, aligned with the wider scientific framework and urgency to act now.
- Outline the pathways and specific actions that will accelerate tourism’s ability to transform tourism and achieve net zero emissions as soon as possible.
- Encourage signatories across the tourism industry to demonstrate their public support for scaling up the sector’s response to the climate emergency
The signatories of the Glasgow Declaration agree on five shared pathways to ensure climate action is aligned across all of the tourism sector:
- Measure: Measure and disclose all travel and tourism-related emissions;
- Decarbonise: Set and deliver science-based targets to accelerate tourism’s decarbonisation;
- Regenerate: Restore and protect ecosystems, supporting nature’s ability to draw down carbon, as well as safeguarding biodiversity, food security, and water supply;
- Collaborate: Share evidence of risks and solutions with all stakeholders and our guests, and work together to ensure our plans are as effective and co-ordinated as possible;
- Finance: Ensure organizational resources and capacity are sufficient to meet objectives set out in climate plans.
All the signatories pledge to commit to joining the climate action:
“We declare our shared commitment to unite all stakeholders in transforming tourism to deliver effective climate action. We support the global commitment to halve emissions by 2030 and reach Net Zero as soon as possible before 2050. We will consistently align our actions with the latest scientific recommendations, so as to ensure our approach remains consistent with a rise of no more than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels by 2100.
See the list of signatories here.
