The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), a United
Nations specialized agency, is the leading international CLIMATE ACTION
organization with the decisive and central role in promoting
the development of responsible, sustainable and universally
accessible tourism. It serves as a global forum for tourism IN THE TOURISM
policy issues and a practical source of tourism know-
how. Its membership includes 160 countries, 6 territories,
2 permanent observers and over 500 Affiliate Members. SECTOR
e-unwto/doi/book/10.18111/9789284423927 - Thursday, March 09, 2023 11:16:58 PM IP Address:36.49.161.202
An overview of
methodologies and tools
World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) unwto to measure greenhouse
gas emissionse-unwto/doi/book/10.18111/9789284423927 - Thursday, March 09, 2023 11:16:58 PM - IP Address:36.49.161.202CLIMATE ACTION IN
THE TOURISM SECTOR
An overview of methodologies and
tools to measure greenhouse gas emissions
e-unwto/doi/book/10.18111/9789284423927 - Thursday, March 09, 2023 11:16:58 PM IP Address:36.49.161.202 Copyright (c) 2023, World Tourism Organization ( UNWTO )
Copyright cover photo: (c) Alexsmithg | Dreamstime
Climate Action in the Tourism Sector – An overview of methodologies and tools to measure greenhouse gas emissions
ISBN (printed version): 978-92-844-2391-0
ISBN (electronic version): 978-92-844-2392-7
DOI: 10.18111/9789284423927
Published by the World Tourism Organization ( UNWTO ), Madrid, Spain.
First published: 2023
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Citation : World Tourism Organization ( 2023), Climate Action in Tourism – An overview of methodologies and tools to meas-
ure greenhouse gas emissions, UNWTO, Madrid, DOI: doi/10.18111/9789284423927.
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Organization. For applications see : unwto/unwto-publications.Table of contents
Acknowledgments 4
About this report 6
Introduction 7
Chapter 1Current status of tourism emissions measurement 11
Background to the research 11
Measurement of emissions is only starting13
Lack of consensus over responsibilities and boundaries 14
Measurement seen as a barrier rather than an enabler15
New generation tools are emerging 15
Lessons from other sectors 16
Chapter 2Current status of methodologies and tools for accommodation providers 17
Chapter 3Current status of methodologies and tools for tour operators19
Chapter 4Current status of methodologies and tools for destinations 22
Chapter 5Recommendations for the way forward 26
Methodologies 26
Find consensus around boundaries and measurement responsibilities 26
Provide tailored guidance for different stakeholder groups 26
Prioritise usability over precision to scale up engagement 27
Catalyse support for SMEs27
Promote the benefits of measurement (financial, social and environmental)28
Advance climate risk valuations, measurement of mitigation potential of nature-based
solutions, non-carbon benefits, etc 28
Tools 28
Conclusion 30
Annexes
Annex 1Approach used in researching this report 31
Stage 1Establish the dataset and criteria 31
Stage 2Initial review of methodologies and tools 33
e-unwto/doi/book/10.18111/9789284423927 - Thursday, March 09, 2023 11:16:58 PM IP Address:36.49.161.202
Stage 3Develop assumptions into guidance 33
Annex 2Overview of methodologies and tools 34
Annex 3Emission scopes in detail45
Annex 4Key terms related to measuring GHG emissions 48
Annex 5List of companies reviewed for systematic review of climate commitments 51
List of acronyms and abbreviations 54
References and bibliography 55
Climate Action in the Tourism Sector 3