Tourism and Sustainability
What are the impacts and consequences of tourism on the environment and climate?
The tourism industry contributes to climate change while also suffering its consequences. Travel for leisure, business or other purposes implies movement away from one’s usual place of residence and, as a result, the use of different modes of transport. A recent study by the World Tourism Organization estimated that 5% of global CO2 emissions are generated by tourist mobility. Beyond transport, shopping and the sourcing and waste of food are also among the main emitters of greenhouse gases.
At the same time, climate change will cause serious damage to tourism. Rising sea levels, more frequent extreme events, ocean acidification and higher temperatures will put every type of destination at risk, from seaside resorts to mountain areas. The impacts are not limited to destinations alone: climate change will also make it harder for tourism businesses to operate efficiently. For example, reduced water availability may create conflicts over resource use between the tourism industry and local communities. More extreme events would negatively affect business operations and make insurers more reluctant to provide coverage because of the higher level of risk, while emission-reduction efforts may increase operating costs and place pressure on prices.
At the international level, there is now a shared commitment to guide tourism towards climate neutrality. A strong push came from the Glasgow Declaration in 2021, which set out common intentions, to be turned into concrete action, to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. Five key tools shape this agenda: measure, decarbonise, regenerate, collaborate and finance. Countries themselves, through their strategic tourism development plans, have already launched measures to counter the effects of climate change.
What is meant by sustainable tourism?
Sustainability is now a central element of tourism. Growing attention to the topic, together with the wider debate around it, has encouraged destinations and operators to design products and services that respond to an increasingly aware and demanding market. At the same time, this rising attention has also created a certain degree of confusion.
So how should we define sustainable tourism? There is no single answer. The concept is broad and takes on different meanings depending on the context in which it is used. From a behavioural point of view, that is, from the demand side, it can be understood as a way of travelling that is:
- responsible and aware of its effects on natural and cultural resources, as well as on local communities;
- capable of generating knowledge and understanding through interpretation and education;
- based on the choice of green mobility, accommodation and dining options, meaning solutions with a lower environmental impact;
- oriented towards discovering lesser-known destinations away from the most established tourism circuits, where visitors can enjoy active and sensory experiences.
From the supply side, sustainable tourism is not a stand-alone segment like seaside or mountain tourism. It is a cross-cutting ambition that applies to all tourism practices: to create lasting environmental, economic and social value, and to seek an evolving balance between the present and future benefits and costs generated by tourism.
Why can food and wine tourism support sustainability?
It helps strengthen rural areas
Most of Italy’s food and wine excellence is concentrated in rural territories. Visitors, especially international travellers, tend to focus on the country’s best-known destinations, major art cities and coastal hotspots that are already under pressure from visitor flows, while rural areas remain less frequented. Food and wine tourism can redirect travellers towards these places, narrowing the gap with the most overcrowded cities and destinations.
It supports the protection and enhancement of food heritage
The loss of food biodiversity and of Italy’s culinary culture would damage the country as a whole. Strengthening food and wine tourism creates benefits in terms of tourism development and additional income for the agricultural system, while also supporting the protection and enhancement of local heritage.
It encourages healthier lifestyles
Poor nutrition and limited physical activity are major individual and public health issues. They increase the risk of chronic diseases, whose treatment weighs heavily on national healthcare spending. Food and wine tourism experiences can help people build healthier habits: they can improve nutritional awareness and, through edutainment, provide practical guidance for changing everyday behaviour. Seven out of ten tourists would like to find holiday menus built around recipes that support health and wellbeing. These experiences can also help visitors regain physical and mental balance by combining local gastronomy with light outdoor activities such as walking or cycling through vineyards and olive groves.
It favours a carbon-neutral approach
Tourism and agriculture both contribute to climate change and at the same time suffer its consequences in a domino effect. To address a global problem, local responses are needed. Food and wine tourism can be one of those responses, because it combines slow ways of discovering a place with sustainable agricultural practices that care for the environment and ensure quality, safe products.
What do travellers expect?
Local products, care for the environment and people, and responsible business behaviour all matter. Sustainability is a key driver in choosing a food and wine experience: it attracts attention and encourages participation. Environmental themes are especially relevant. Beyond the availability of tastings and culinary experiences based entirely on local products, something that matters to three Italians out of four, travellers also prefer businesses that adopt sustainable practices, from reducing water and energy consumption to obtaining environmental certifications. Social responsibility matters as well: 68% of Italians are more inclined to book an experience when a business supports the local community, and 67% value the opportunity to buy directly from small local producers.
Sustainability also matters in destination choice. Italian travellers pay close attention to how sustainable a destination really is. The elements they consider include the possibility of staying in green accommodation, reaching the destination through lower-impact transport and moving around by bicycle or other light mobility options.
Travellers also want clear information about sustainability. Before departure, they want reassurance that the company and the products, services and experiences it offers are genuinely sustainable. During the experience itself, they want to know more about the techniques used to minimise environmental impact, as well as the projects and initiatives that support staff wellbeing and the business ecosystem.
Helping travellers adopt more sustainable behaviour is essential. This means communicating in a simple, transparent way and supporting people in making better choices.
What can businesses and destinations do to become more sustainable?
For businesses
The interest is there. It is up to food and wine tourism businesses to respond to this demand and turn it into added value. How? The right starting point is to verify what is already being done and measure the current level of sustainability in order to understand what should be improved and how, including from the traveller’s point of view. This improvement process, which may also lead to certifications, obviously has costs, but these can be partially offset by taking advantage of local, regional and national calls and incentives. It is also worth noting that recent studies show a positive and increasing correlation between the level of sustainability of a business and its productivity. Being sustainable must therefore be visible and communicated to customers, suppliers, local operators and communities so that it becomes a real competitive asset, also for potential and current travellers. Consistent, integrated communication stimulates demand and supports conversion.
For destinations
Those who govern tourism at local, regional and national level should support the adoption of sustainable approaches in food and wine-related products, services and experiences. This can happen through soft-power actions such as regulatory adjustments, training and knowledge exchange, but also through incentives and by creating the infrastructure and facilities needed to make these experiences possible, such as food hubs and itineraries. Destinations should also strengthen their visibility and reputation as sustainable food and wine destinations through a coherent omnichannel communication strategy, both externally through campaigns and internally through awards and initiatives that give visibility to good practices.