Tourism Industry Celebrates COP29 Climate Declaration

For the first time in its history, COP29 included a Tourism Day, with a First Ministerial Meeting focused on aligning tourist policy with national climate targets. Baku's public and business sector leaders acknowledged climate change's significant influence on the tourism industry and its contribution to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. At the same time, they stressed tourism's ability to promote climate adaption and regeneration measures actively. Over 700 stakeholders attended the Tourism Day events.

Governments united around climate action in tourism

The First Ministerial was chaired by Mr Fuad Naghiyev, Chairman of the State Tourism Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and included the COP29 President H.E. Mr Mukhtar Babayev, Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Azerbaijan, UN Tourism, UNEP and UNFCCC.

Both UN Tourism Secretary–General, Mr Zurab Pololikashvili, and UNEP Executive Director, Ms Inger Andersen, underlined the need for a science-based approach, referring to advanced new research to be further adapted from the University of Queensland (an Affiliate Member of UN Tourism) indicating that tourism represents 8.8% of global emissions (including direct and indirect emissions).

Addressing delegates, Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: "For the first time, the Action Agenda of the UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties has included tourism. The First Ministerial Meeting on Enhanced Climate Action in Tourism marks a turning point when ambition meets action and vision transforms into commitment. At COP29, the global tourism sector made clear its commitment to positive transformation for a better future for our planet."

The Ministerial welcomed ten Ministers of Tourism (United Arab Emirates, Brazil, Belarus, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Iran, Kazakhstan, Maldives, Montenegro, North Macedonia), two Ministers of Environment (Costa Rica and Maldives) and four Deputy Ministers (Saudi Arabia, Tanzania, Uzbekistan). Secretaries of State from Moldova, Portugal, Zambia and Zimbabwe were also present. The Caribbean Tourism Organization and the Pacific Tourism Organization delivered statements on behalf of their members. The World Travel and Tourism Council and the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance also took the floor.

Based on the high-level discussions, 52 governments signed the COP29 Declaration for Enhanced Climate Action in Tourism. 

Measurement, Decarbonization, Adaptation, Regeneration, Finance, Innovation

The High-Level Roundtables brought together experts from academia, policymakers, and the private sector to raise the tourism sector's climate ambition. UN Tourism Executive Director Zoritsa Urosevic presented the UN Statistical Framework for Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism as a key tool for advancing the sector's climate action ambitions. A keynote presentation also covered climate finance innovation.

Carbon measurement was discussed at four levels: globally, to understand the scale of the challenge; at the country level, to inform tourism policies and align them with climate goals; at the business level, to ensure accountability for change; and at the product labelling level, empowering consumers to make informed, sustainable choices. While scaling up measurement efforts offer opportunities for evidence-based action; experts highlighted challenges such as the limits of technology-driven improvements, the need for innovative business models, and the critical role of behaviour change.

Discussions on adaptation and regeneration emphasized tourism's potential to foster climate adaptation and regeneration strategies, underscoring the need for scalable financing mechanisms, innovative financial instruments, and collaborative approaches. Interventions and educational strategies that support sustainability transitions were showcased. All in all, several examples of innovation and collaboration illustrated how decarbonization can be linked to funding, adaptation strategies can be grounded in science, and climate action plans can serve as a foundation for change.

New signatories of the Glasgow Declaration Initiative

The Glasgow Declaration Initiative continues to advance with more than 370 action plans already developed by its 900 signatories. Key Takeaways from the Glasgow Declaration Implementation Report 2024 were released at COP29, including:

• 74% of signatories with climate plans are measuring
• 92% of plans include decarbonization actions
• 73% of plans include actions related to biodiversity protection
• 41% of plans include climate adaptation actions
• 29% of plans refer to climate justice
• 82% of signatories with plans report working in partnership with others
• 44% of plans refer finance actions, with this pathway remaining a challenge

During COP29, the State Tourism Agency of Azerbaijan and Minor International signed the Glasgow Declaration, and 58 new signatories were announced, including Destination Canada, the Department for Tourism in Samarkand Region (Uzbekistan), and HOTREC (The European Association of Hotels, Restaurants and Cafés).

Towards climate-resilient tourism Development

To lay the foundations for a global coordination mechanism and partnership platform, UN Tourism and the State Tourism Agency of Azerbaijan signed a Letter of Intent to create a framework for its establishment. The partnership will ensure the continuation of the process to COP30 in Belem, Brazil, in 2025 and building on COP28—as well as support the transformation of the tourism sector so it can be part of a low-carbon, sustainable, and resilient future.