(TAN): UNWTO is partnering with Oxford SDG Impact Lab and easyJet holidays to develop the first environmental, social and governance (ESG) Framework for Tourism Businesses, the UN body said in a statement.
The ESG Framework for Tourism Businesses project brings together leading businesses and top scholars with the multilateral system to co-design a measurement tool that is meaningful and feasible for improved monitoring of how tourism businesses impact, and depend on, people, planet and prosperity. UNWTO and Oxford University will carry out a comprehensive mapping of current work, interview pioneering businesses in the accommodation and reservation services industries, and further research and development.
[ALSO READ: The St. Regis Chicago opens doors to guests]
Based on this work, UNWTO plans to issue a first beta version of the ESG Tourism Framework for accommodation and reservation services, with a view to extending it into additional tourism industries over 2024 and launch the finalized, agreed version for global uptake.
UNWTO Executive Director Zoritsa Urosevic said: “By drawing on the power of international consensus — based on the forthcoming UN Statistical Framework for Measuring Sustainable Tourism (MST) — the ESG Framework for Tourism Businesses will provide a comparable and relevant set of indicators for tourism industries. It will empower private and public sectors with more robust data to shape innovative policies, transform business models and promote better tourism governance.”
“The ESG Framework brings together the University of Oxford’s world class academic research with the international consensus-building ability and expertise of the UNWTO. Ensuring that this strategic approach is matched with real-world testing and consultation with industry experts, such as easyJet holidays, this project is uniquely placed to bring about meaningful impact in the sustainable tourism sector,” said Professor Alexander Betts, University of Oxford’s local and global engagement officer.
[ALSO READ: oneworld taps AI firm Elemental Cognition for “round the world” ticket booking tool]
Matt Callaghan, easyJet holidays’ director of customer & operations, said: “We have big ambitions when it comes to making sustainable holidays mainstream and we’re committed to playing our part in supporting better tourism governance. So, as the SDG Impact Lab’s founding partner we’re delighted to be supporting the Lab’s work with the UNWTO, to develop a first-of-its-kind environmental, social and governance framework for sustainable tourism.”
