How the travel industry can influence sustainable growth

The author asserts that while the travel and tourism sector (termed "travelism") is a major driver of global GDP and employment, its carbon and resource impacts remain largely unmeasured and unmanaged. To achieve "green growth"—where economic development is decoupled from environmental impact—the author proposes two fundamental shifts: the creation of a single balance sheet combining economic and environmental metrics, and the delivery of transformation solutions at the local level. The document highlights Africa as a critical region for this transformation due to its high climate vulnerability and growth potential, noting the launch of the SUN Program's first pilot in Mauritius in 2015 to build community-led resilience through solar-powered monitoring centres.

• The travel and tourism sector, described as "travelism," contributes between 5% and 10% of global socio-economic activity, with Africa's contribution specifically accounting for 9% of its GDP and 8 million jobs, with an annual growth forecast of nearly 5%.
• Despite its economic importance, the industry's environmental impacts regarding carbon emissions from transport and buildings, resource use of water and food, and "people congestion" have not been coherently managed or effectively measured.
• Meaningful change in the sector requires two primary actions: integrating travelism and environmental metrics into a single balance sheet and implementing green growth transformation solutions at the local level.
• The SUN Program aims to increase the capacity of the travel industry to deliver climate resilience and sustainability at the community level via an international network of prefabricated solar-powered monitoring and learning centres; the first pilot is scheduled for Mauritius in 2015.
• Africa is identified as highly vulnerable to climate and disasters, necessitating a significant portion of new multibillion-dollar adaptation funding to support its transformation.

APA

Lipman, G. (2015). How the travel industry can influence sustainable growth. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/stories/economic-growth/travel-industry-influence-sustainable-growth/

Chicago

Lipman, Geoffrey. How the travel industry can influence sustainable growth. World Economic Forum, 2015. https://www.weforum.org/stories/economic-growth/travel-industry-influence-sustainable-growth/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Lipman |first1=Geoffrey |title=How the travel industry can influence sustainable growth |publisher=World Economic Forum |date=5 June 2015 |url=https://www.weforum.org/stories/economic-growth/travel-industry-influence-sustainable-growth/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{lipman2015how, author = {Lipman, Geoffrey}, title = {{How the travel industry can influence sustainable growth}}, publisher = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2015}, month = jun, url = {https://www.weforum.org/stories/economic-growth/travel-industry-influence-sustainable-growth/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }