Building on the success of its Economic Impact Research (EIR), WTTC, in collaboration with Oxford Economics, launched Environmental & Social Research (ESR) to measure Travel & Tourism's environmental footprint and its contribution to the employment of different groups in society. ESR covers 185 economies and 23 regions around the world. The findings from ESR also allows the sector to compare its progress against the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Travel & Tourism's Environmental Footprint
- In 2023, Travel & Tourism's contribution to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions accounted for 6.5% of all GHG emissions globally, compared to a share of 7.8% in 2019
- Transportation was the largest contributor to the sector's GHG emission, at 37% share, followed by 19% share for Utilities
- Travel & Tourism's GHG emissions intensity, which measures the rate of emissions per dollar of economic contribution, has fallen 10.2% between 2019 and 2023
- Although the proportion of low-carbon energy sources (such as solar energy) has improved marginally between 2019 and 2023, fossil fuels continue to dominate Travel & Tourism's energy mix
Travel & Tourism's Social Impact
- In 2023, 39.7% of direct Travel & Tourism jobs were held by female workers, in line with the wider economy
- Young workers (aged 15 to 24) made up 15.5% of direct T&T employment, slightly higher than share of youth in the wider economy
- Almost 40% of direct Travel & Tourism jobs were in high-wage industries
Travel & Tourism's Tax Contributions
In 2023, Travel & Tourism's total contribution to tax stood at $3.3 trillion globally (which represents 9.6% of all government revenues)
Recent WTTC Reports That Feature ESR Results:
Below are some of our recent ESR reports.
ESR Microsite
Results from the latest Environmental & Social Research are also available on this interactive ESR microsite.
