+ ON THE SOAPBOX: Mark Tanzer, Chief Executive ABTA - Decarbonisation and travel

At ABTA we believe that decarbonisation in the travel and tourism sector must be accelerated, but we also recognise that people do not want to be priced out of travelling as a result – and nor should they be. Our research shows that most people support this view.

To help achieve this, we aim to bring policy makers and the sector together, to find and implement ways to reduce the industry’s environmental impact in a practical and managed manner, while ensuring that travel remains affordable.

We believe that tourism is a force for good and we advocate responsible travel. It brings cultural and wellbeing benefits to people and great value to the UK economy. However, as world travel has opened up over the past few decades, carbon emissions have increased, and tackling climate change is a pressing challenge.

The industry has already started to make progress, both in aviation and cruise – for example, by developing more sustainable fuels and introducing operational changes which reduce carbon emissions. Additionally, ABTA is a member of Sustainable Aviation, which has a clear roadmap showing how aviation can achieve Net Zero.

Three quarters of international journeys to and from the UK are by aviation; as we are an island, alternative forms of travel for the same journeys are not always possible. Aviation accounts for 2% of global carbon emissions, and cruise 0.2% – so, although tackling climate change needs action from many sectors worldwide, travel can and should play its part.

It is particularly important that we can show progress as the proportion of overall emissions from flying and cruise will increase as other sectors – which are easier to decarbonise – transition over the coming decade. We know that reducing carbon in aviation and cruise is more difficult than in some other industries. That is why we need the right policy environment to stimulate the investment and innovation that will be necessary to reduce emissions at scale.

The wrong policy choice would be to attempt to reduce emissions through demand management, by unduly increasing the cost of flying – either through direct taxes or other levies. This would impact the wider UK economy but without driving people to use alternative forms of transport; in the UK, flying is the only practical way to reach many overseas destinations. The result would instead be to price many people out of travel and holidays altogether.

The UK already has one of the highest rates of Air Passenger Duty (APD) in the world and any further considerations of increasing this tax, or introducing other measures, need to consider the impact on the cost of travelling in the round. On APD specifically, our research shows that four in five people think that at least some, or all, revenues raised should be used to support the industry’s drive to decarbonise.

The right policy framework will be one which helps the industry adapt to and invest in technologies which will help tackle climate change, such as Sustainable Aviation Fuel, hydrogen fuel and, for cruise, Liquified Natural Gas.

Beyond fuels, a range of other measures are being explored and implemented. Upgraded airline fleets and more efficient airspace operations are already helping to reduce emissions and continued investment in these areas will make a further impact. In cruise, a move to onshore power supply is reducing ship emissions when berthed, and 15% of new cruise ships coming on stream will include fuel cells or batteries, a hybrid approach to operating vessels alongside traditional fuels.

There is the opportunity for the UK to take a leading development role in new technologies, in particular sustainable fuels, and it will be better in terms of cost and jobs for the solutions to be home grown rather than the country needing to import these at a later date.

That said, initial actions by the new Government in summer 2024 – announcing a Bill to support Sustainable Aviation Fuel production, and to give certainty on prices to investors, as well as a £100 million+ investment in ‘green’ aerospace projects – are positive moves that show ministers are listening to the industry. This kind of policy commitment, though, will be needed for the long term.

Tackling climate change is extremely important but it is not the only area of responsible travel which the industry is working on. Accessibility, overtourism and animal welfare are all areas which the public considers important and where progress is being made by ABTA members and the wider industry.

Decarbonisation, however, is a primary focus with further progress best able to be made by the industry and Government working together. This will enable meaningful carbon reductions while keeping holidays and international travel affordable for all.

www.abta.com

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READERS' COMMENT

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Barry Graham, US

Climate change is part of nature, from G-d. We need to stop wasting money on changing something that we cannot change.