Tourism industry holding fast to its sustainability goals: report

With the summer season in full swing, the tourism industry’s annual gauge of sustainability has shown a significant rise in tourism businesses measuring their carbon footprint.
Nearly half (41 per cent) of the respondents in the latest annual stock take of the Tourism
Sustainability Commitment (TSC) said they were actively measuring carbon emissions in 2023, a substantial jump on the 29 per cent who reported doing so in 2022.
More than1900 tourism businesses have signed up to the TSC, which was established in 2017 by Tourism Industry Aotearoa.
They are annually invited to make a declaration on their progress, which in 2023 drew
565 responses.
The report also showed that industry optimism had greatly improved, Tourism Industry Aotearoa chief executive Rebecca Ingram says.
“As international visitors return in greater numbers, it’s great to see most (84.5 per cent) of thetourism business who responded are very or quite confident about their future.
“Tourism is still one of our biggest foreign exchange earners. It’s a job creator, a regional growth generator and an important connector to the rest of the world. But it’s more than
just straight economics and has the drive to lead in best practice.”
The TSC takes a wide view of sustainability, looking at economic and visitor sentiment,
cultural and community engagement, as well as environmental aspects – reflecting the
holistic direction of the tourism industry.
Across all questions, the industry’s overall sustainability score was 8.1 out of 10, the
same as 2022.
“This highlights that even while the tourism industry was in the midst of its recovery, its
commitment towards sustainability remained intact,”” Ingram said.” says Rebecca.
Key results include:

• Community partnership – This was very important to the majority of respondents, with 96 per cent reporting that they were engaging with their local community for mutual benefit.
• Environmental commitment: Most respondents (92 per cent) were contributing to protecting and enhancing the natural environment. This included through guest education, staff involvement, or financially supporting projects.
• Carbon measurement: A significantly increased number of respondents (41 per cent) are measuring their carbon emissions (up from 29 per cent), and another 40 per cent are investigating their options.
• Waste reduction: 87.9 per cent always or usually work to minimise the waste their business produces.
• Predator control: More than two thirds (68.7 per cent) say they are supporting pest reduction on their own land or supporting other organisations to do so.
• Employer of Choice: In 2023, 53.9 per cent of respondents were paying a living wage. Others said they were offering different benefits (e.g. flexible working or family friendly policies, subsidised meals, accommodation and transport, or professional development).
• Sustainable Supply Chains: In 2023, 95 per cent reported that they always, usually or sometimes looked for the most sustainable products available – the same as 2022.
• Education: 82 per cent of respondents always or usually encourage visitors to be good travellers in New Zealand, such as by sharing the Tiaki Promise, up from 79 per cent in 2022.
  Areas where businesses were making good strides were restoring nature, visitor satisfaction, waste elimination, and investment and innovation.
  And pleasingly, 43 per cent said they had a sustainability plan (up from 38 per cent the previous year). But only 16 per cent had a dedicated sustainability budget (similar to 2022’s 17 per cent).
  “We’ve always said that as our international guests return, we need to manage the industry in a way that aligns with our culture and our communities’ values and that respects our environment, and this result is confirmation of the industry’s positive efforts in this regard.”