Nature Positive Travel & Tourism in Action

The first publication from the Nature Positive Tourism Partnership – the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), UN Tourism and the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance – provides insights and guidance to inspire and empower the Travel & Tourism sector to reduce negative impacts on nature throughout its operations and value chains while also undertaking actions to protect and restore biodiversity.

It adds to the previous WTTC publications on the topic – the 2022 “Nature Positive Travel & Tourism” report and accompanying “Toolbox of Nature Positive Resources” – with a review of recent research and specific advice for both public and private sectors. Prepared by specialist travel consultancy ANIMONDIAL, it draws on an extensive consultation with experts from business, government, academia and civil society.  

The report provides insights, guidance and a wide range of case studies to encourage the Travel & Tourism sector to adopt a Nature Positive Tourism approach, providing:

• The business case for why the tourism sector must act now to put biodiversity concerns at the forefront of business decision-making.
• Insight into attitudes to the Nature Positive agenda among governments, businesses, local communities, and consumers.
• Step-by-step guidance on how a business should regularly assess their nature-related risks and impacts, recognising that each business and each tourism industry may have different impacts and require a customised approach.
• The nature positive principles which ensure that measures to protect and enhance biodiversity in destinations flow through the tourism value chain.
• Support for communications campaigns to highlight the role of nature and biodiversity in Travel & Tourism and ensure all stakeholders, especially travellers, are informed and involved in the transformative process.
• Examples of how partnerships between government, businesses and communities can help strengthen national tourism policies, help Travel & Tourism halt biodiversity loss, and apply its influence to emerge as a force for good.  
• Suggestions on how governments can speed up the transition to a nature positive future.

The guidance helps businesses plot a Nature Positive Tourism strategy, uniting work around plastics and pollution, water use, animal welfare, carbon emissions and positive impacts under a single plan. Through its nature-positive initiative, businesses are being asked to commit to a Nature Positive Tourism vision.