A turbulent start to 2020 for travel industry

A turbulent start to 2020 for travel industry – So far, it’s been a very bumpy ride for the travel industry this year.

And all the signs point to further tourism turbulence over the next few months as the fallout from the coronavirus continues to unfold.

Shall we book or shall we wait – that‘s the question in most people’s minds at the moment and we will only know the answer when we get a clearer picture of holiday traffic in what is traditionally the busiest time of the year for travel companies.

In the meantime the industry is wrestling with its response to another hot topic – how to get in step with climate change and this one is not destined to go away any time soon.

There’s been a flurry of ‘green’ announcements as one travel operator after another were almost tripping over each other to demonstrate a positive carbon footprint.

So here’s a few recent ‘green arrivals’ at exploringmore.co.uk …

At Makanyi Lodge, north east of Durban and bordering the Kruger National Park in South Africa, they have taken ownership of the first of its kind electric conversion safari vehicle. “Here at Makanyi we have always looked at ways to preserve our beautiful natural environment. When we heard about Electric Safari Vehicles doing conversions of game viewers, we jumped at the opportunity to convert one of our own Land Rovers – and the results have been astonishing! So much so, that we look forward to having our entire fleet converted in the near future,” said owner Jessica Gold

Leading Walking & Activity Tour Operator HF Holidays has partnered with Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust (YDMT) to plant 1500 trees in and around the Yorkshire Dales. The partnership is one of the many strategies in place to support HF Holidays’ own plans to drive sustainability throughout the organisation and actively offset travel carbon emissions and promote sustainable tourism. 1,500 trees well cared for and maintained over 50 years can absorb an estimated 250 tonnes of carbon, or the equivalent CO2 emissions from 500 HF Leader return flights from London to Italy.

Costa Rica has just received the 2019 Champions of the Earth award, the UN’s highest environmental honour, for its role in the protection of nature and its commitment to ambitious policies to combat climate change. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has recognised Costa Rica in the policy leadership category.

A world leader in sustainability, the Central American country has submitted a detailed plan to decarbonise its economy by 2050, in line with the Paris Climate Agreement and the UN’s’ Sustainable Development Goals. The plan hopes to provide an example for other countries to curb the deadly emissions causing rapid, disastrous climate change. More than 95% of Costa Rica’s energy is renewable and forest cover stands at more than 50% after painstaking work to reverse decades of deforestation. In 2017, the country ran for a record 300 days solely on renewable power. The aim is to achieve 100% renewable electricity by 2030. Seventy per cent of all buses and taxis are expected to be electric by 2030, with full electrification projected for 2050.

As part of its ongoing commitment to sustainable travel, adventure travel specialist World Expeditions has announced that as of next month EVERY TRIP across its global range will be carbon neutral.

From 1 November 2019, each of the company’s hundreds of itineraries will allow travellers to explore the world sustainably, with World Expeditions pledging to absorb the cost of credits to offset emissions as its commitment to being part of the solution to the climate crisis.

…and then there was Ryanair. Adverts containing claims about carbon emissions were banned by the UK’s advertising watchdog. The Advertising Standards Authority ruled Ryanair’s claims in press, TV and radio adverts could not be backed up.

Ryanair hit back claiming consumers could halve their carbon footprint if they switched to it and pointed to its new environment-focused website (https://corporate.ryanair.com/environment/) as the most comprehensive and detailed in the industry.