TOURISM AND SUSTAINABILITY.- Safe and environmentally friendly mobility

Although uncertainty still persists and a return to normality is not immediately apparent, the sector is also taking advantage of the situation to move towards the creation and organisation of events adapted to the new regulations with the restrictive and health security measures that are imposed. There is also a long way to go in the organisation of events to make them more sustainable.

The Covid19 pandemic and its effects on the economy, especially in the tourism sector, have led to the model crisis without any previous precedent. Some of the strategies that have been applied so far are no longer valid and must be reinvented to face a new scenario in which you want to take advantage of promoting more sustainable and environmentally friendly actions. Educating tourists in their behaviour when traveling will be key to definitively promote these sustainability policies. On the other hand, the tourist has also become more demanding when it comes to requesting products and services with the guarantee of sustainability and environmental respect.

The innovation must also play a very important role. Today, the entire tourism sector, and especially event organisers, are working hard to satisfy an audience that is becoming increasingly important. The active participation of attendees requires work on all fronts to facilitate access to interaction for everyone and to enrich programmes and activities to ensure success.

Tourism must take into account current and future economic, social and environmental repercussions in order to satisfy the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and the town itself. The situation that lies ahead forces the sector to rethink its proposals. Although currently they have to adapt to the new normality to maintain distances and apply the necessary sanitary measures in each sector. The tourism of the future is forced to reinvent itself. In the coming months, an opportunity opens up for a firm commitment to sustainable and responsible tourism. The future of tourism will not be an extension of the past and it will be all very different from how we have known it until now. Despite the fact that it will continue to be a main activity in the economic sector of tourist destinations and in the contributions to GDP, it will be necessary to join efforts and network to structure new proposals for the visitor who already demands this type of sustainable and respectful offers with the middle. Tourist destinations work to make them a good place not only to visit, but mainly to live. Increasing awareness and respect for ecosystems will be essential. Attract new clients and sensitize tourists and visitors to preserve the destination environment. Encourage the use of public transport or other low-emission vehicles and update tourist experiences or itineraries. It will also be necessary to measure the carbon footprint of each activity carried out in order to involve customers and users, collaborators or workers in the sector. The reports and studies that measure the carbon footprint on each trip should be thoroughly reviewed and this can change the entire fabric of tourism service providers.

As published in the BLOG on March 17th, the current state of alarm has brought us to a new horizon. All these weeks have generated a growing social awareness around the world that will change the way of doing and working in different sectors, especially tourism. Sustainability in travel has been debated for months among professionals in the tourism industry who have now accelerated the demand to promote change. The demand for more sustainable travel programs is increasing. Travel management and event organization companies open the opportunity to develop a key role in making leisure and business travel more sustainable.

Tourism is a generator of opportunities for both social, economic and cultural agents and why its activities must be integrated as potential assets of the territory. The current moment is key to defining a destiny that can ensure long-term survival. The guidelines for sustainable development will apply to all forms of tourism. The principles of sustainability refer to both environmental and economic or socio-cultural aspects. Sustainable development requires the participation of all relevant agents. It will be an ongoing process and will require constant monitoring. Sustainable tourism must, at the same time, provide a very high degree of satisfaction to tourists and represent a significant experience that makes them aware of the need to be sustainable and can promote tourism practices that are also sustainable.

SUSTAINABLE CITIES – WHY THEY MATTER

Facts and figures

• Half of humanity – 3.5 billion people – lives in cities today
• By 2030, almost 60 per cent of the world’s population will live in urban areas
• 95 per cent of urban expansion in the next decades will take place in developing world
• 828 million people live in slums today and the number keeps rising
• The world’s cities occupy just 3 per cent of the Earth’s land, but account for 60-80 per cent of energy consumption and 75 per cent of carbon emissions
• Rapid urbanization is exerting pressure on fresh water supplies, sewage, the living environment, and public health
• But the high density of cities can bring efficiency gains and technological innovation while reducing resource and energy consumption

In any activity it will be necessary to consider the mobility options. In this sense, public transport makes an additional effort to adapt vehicles as they are more sustainable. Transportation, in general, is one of the main sources of environmental pollution, especially the private vehicle and the airplane.

Avant Grup always aware of the environmental needs and climate change, backed by European regulations, has in its fleet Euro VI engines the new generations for coaches with the lowest CO2 emissions.

Carbon dioxide emissions from transport in the European Union, currently, represent 3.5% of global CO2 emissions. In view of this situation, a change was needed to promote this hopeful future. The development of EURO VI engines has reached a new milestone, combining outstanding performance with low consumption and exemplary environmental compatibility.

In this sense, it is necessary to move towards sustainable mobility. In the particular case, the company Avant Grup has 99% of its entire fleet with EuroV and EuroVI motor vehicles, with a minimum emission level in accordance with the maximum EU label and with the environmental management, sustainability and biological safety certifications that allow generating the necessary confidence to the users.