The United Nations operates several official climate action programs specifically designed for the tourism sector, with the most prominent being Tourism Declares a Climate Emergency and the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism. These initiatives allow destinations, hotels, tour operators, and tourism businesses of any size to formally commit to climate targets, access technical support, and join a global network working toward carbon reduction and net-zero goals.
Joining a UN climate action program isn’t complicated. Most require an online application, a public commitment statement, and an action plan outlining how your organization will measure and reduce emissions. There are no fees for participation, though you’ll need to report progress annually and demonstrate genuine efforts toward sustainability targets aligned with the Paris Agreement.
The benefits extend far beyond symbolic recognition. Participating organizations gain access to frameworks, training resources, and peer learning networks that help translate commitments into measurable change. Tourism businesses that joined early have reported improved operational efficiency, stronger partnerships with environmentally conscious travelers, and enhanced reputation among booking platforms prioritizing sustainable options.
What makes these programs particularly valuable for tourism is their emphasis on collaboration over competition. Small guesthouses in rural communities participate alongside international hotel chains, sharing strategies that work across vastly different contexts. The focus remains on progress, not perfection, with clear guidance on setting realistic timelines and ambitious yet achievable targets.
This guide walks you through what each program offers, who can participate, how to apply, what commitments you’ll undertake, and where to find ongoing support as you implement climate action within your tourism operation.
What UN Climate Action in Tourism Encompasses
The Glasgow Declaration and Its Commitments
The Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism, launched at COP26 in 2021, represents the most comprehensive framework for tourism’s climate commitment to date. By signing, organizations pledge to align their operations with the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C and commit to halving tourism emissions by 2030 and reaching net zero by 2050.
The Declaration structures action through five interconnected pathways that guide signatories’ efforts:
Measurement requires organizations to establish baseline emissions and implement consistent carbon accounting across their operations. You’ll measure your current footprint using recognized methodologies like the Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative or the GSTC criteria, creating the foundation for all subsequent action.
Decarbonization demands concrete plans to reduce absolute emissions across your value chain. This means identifying your biggest emission sources, typically energy, transportation, and supply chains, and implementing targeted reduction strategies rather than relying solely on offsets.
Regeneration extends beyond carbon to address biodiversity, water, and waste. Signatories commit to protecting ecosystems and supporting nature-based solutions that restore rather than merely sustain environments.
Collaboration emphasizes working with suppliers, destinations, and industry partners to amplify impact. Climate action requires systemic change, not isolated efforts.
Financing commits organizations to mobilize investment toward climate solutions and align financial planning with decarbonization pathways.
Signing means publicly committing to transparent reporting, sharing your action plan within twelve months, and providing annual progress updates. It’s accountability paired with access to a global network working toward the same goals.
UN Tourism’s Climate Framework
The UN Tourism climate action framework provides the structural backbone that turns aspirational climate commitments into measurable, comparable outcomes across the global tourism sector. Operating under the broader UN Climate Change initiative, this framework establishes standardized methodologies that enable tourism businesses and destinations to track their carbon footprint accurately, set science-based reduction targets, and demonstrate progress toward the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
At its core, the framework mandates emissions accounting across three scopes. Scope 1 covers direct emissions from operations you control, like fuel burned in your vehicles or heating systems. Scope 2 addresses indirect emissions from purchased electricity and energy. Scope 3, often the largest for tourism businesses, encompasses emissions from your supply chain, business travel, waste, and guest transportation. This comprehensive approach prevents organizations from cherry-picking metrics that make their impact look smaller than it truly is.
UN Tourism provides standardized measurement protocols aligned with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, ensuring that a hotel in Thailand and a tour operator in Peru calculate their carbon footprints using consistent methodologies. This comparability matters because it allows industry-wide progress tracking and creates accountability. The framework requires participants to establish a baseline year, typically within the past three years, then set reduction targets that align with climate science rather than arbitrary percentages.
Reporting happens annually through a transparent system that tracks both absolute emissions and emissions intensity per visitor night or per tour. This dual measurement acknowledges that businesses may grow while still reducing their climate impact per unit of service delivered.
Who Can Participate: Eligibility and Requirements
Requirements for Tourism Businesses
Tourism businesses of any size can participate in UN climate action initiatives, but readiness varies by organizational capacity. Small operators, guesthouses, tour guides, independent restaurants, need a baseline commitment to measure and reduce emissions, even if starting with simple calculations. You’ll need basic operational data (energy use, transportation, waste) and willingness to set reduction targets aligned with your resources.
Medium-sized businesses face higher expectations: documented emissions baselines using recognized methodologies, formal climate action plans with clear targets, and dedicated staff or budget for implementation. Large chains and corporations must demonstrate robust measurement systems covering scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions, science-based targets validated by credible frameworks, and comprehensive reporting capabilities.
All participants require genuine commitment from leadership, not just marketing interest. You must be transparent about your starting point, willing to report progress publicly, and prepared for continuous improvement rather than one-time actions. Financial capacity matters less than organizational readiness: small businesses with strong commitment and clear data often outperform larger operators treating climate action as box-ticking. The key threshold isn’t revenue or size, it’s your ability to measure honestly, act meaningfully, and communicate transparently.
Requirements for Destinations and Governments
Destination management organizations and government bodies face distinct participation requirements that reflect their broader sphere of influence. Unlike individual businesses, destinations must demonstrate the capacity to coordinate multiple stakeholders and implement policy-level changes across their tourism ecosystem.
Governments seeking to participate need established tourism governance structures and the authority to create or influence tourism policy. This includes the ability to set regulatory frameworks, allocate budgets for climate initiatives, and convene diverse stakeholder groups. You’ll need commitment from relevant ministries, typically tourism, environment, and economic development, to ensure coordinated action rather than isolated efforts.
DMOs must show they can engage the full spectrum of local tourism businesses, transportation providers, accommodation sectors, and community representatives. The UN requires evidence of stakeholder consultation processes and mechanisms for collaborative decision-making. You’re expected to develop destination-wide climate action plans that set collective targets, not just guidelines.
Both governments and DMOs need baseline data capabilities: existing tourism emissions inventories or the resources to develop them, visitor statistics systems, and economic impact measurement frameworks. Without this foundation, setting credible targets and tracking progress becomes impossible. Technical capacity for climate reporting, whether in-house or through partnerships, is essential for meeting ongoing obligations.
How to Join and Implement UN Climate Action Commitments
Signing the Glasgow Declaration: The Application Process
Signing the Glasgow Declaration begins at the One Planet Sustainable Tourism website, where you’ll find the official registration portal. The process takes approximately 15-30 minutes to complete, though you’ll want supporting documents ready beforehand.
You’ll need to provide your organization’s basic details, name, location, type (accommodation, tour operator, destination, etc.), and contact information for a designated climate action lead. The form asks you to acknowledge the Declaration’s five pathways and commit to publishing a climate action plan within 12 months of signing.
Before submitting, prepare a brief statement explaining your organization’s motivation for joining. While not mandatory, this helps communicate your commitment to stakeholders and appears on the public signatory list if you choose to share it.
Once submitted, you’ll receive confirmation within five business days. New signatories get immediate access to the implementation toolkit, measurement resources, and the private signatory network. There’s no fee to join, and organizations of any size, from single-property guesthouses to multinational hotel groups, are welcome. The Declaration operates on trust and transparency rather than gatekeeping, recognizing that meaningful climate action requires broad participation across the tourism sector.
Developing Your Climate Action Plan
Creating a robust climate action plan starts with measuring your current carbon footprint. Conduct a baseline emissions assessment covering Scope 1 (direct operations), Scope 2 (purchased energy), and Scope 3 (supply chain and guest travel). Most tourism businesses find that guest transportation, energy consumption, and food waste account for the largest shares.
Once you know your baseline, set science-based targets aligned with the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C pathway. Your targets should include specific percentage reductions and deadlines, typically 50% reduction by 2030 and net-zero by 2050. Break these down into annual milestones that you can track and adjust as needed.
Next, identify your decarbonization pathways. Focus on quick wins first: switching to renewable energy, implementing hotel energy management systems, upgrading to efficient water treatment systems and reducing single-use plastics. Then tackle longer-term changes like building retrofits, fleet electrification, and supply chain engagement.
Your action plan should integrate with your broader sustainable tourism strategy. Assign clear responsibilities, allocate budget, and establish quarterly review processes. Document everything, because transparency in your methodology strengthens credibility and helps other operators learn from your approach.
Reporting and Progress Tracking
Reporting requirements under UN climate action initiatives follow a structured cycle designed to maintain accountability while remaining manageable for diverse organization types. Signatories of the Glasgow Declaration submit progress reports annually, typically aligned with calendar years to simplify data collection. Your first report comes 12-18 months after signing, allowing sufficient time to establish baseline measurements and implement initial actions.
Reports must include quantified emissions data following the UN Tourism carbon measurement methodology, which covers Scopes 1, 2, and relevant Scope 3 emissions. You’ll document specific decarbonization measures implemented, percentage reductions achieved against your baseline, and progress toward your stated targets. The reporting platform provides standardized templates that guide you through required metrics, energy consumption, renewable energy adoption, waste diversion rates, and sustainable procurement percentages.
UN Tourism reviews submissions for completeness and consistency, not perfection. They recognize that measurement capabilities improve over time, particularly for smaller operators. What matters most is demonstrating genuine effort, transparent data, and year-over-year improvement. Organizations showing insufficient progress receive support offers rather than penalties, though persistent non-compliance may affect signatory status. Your reports become part of aggregated industry data that shapes policy recommendations without exposing individual business details.
Your Rights, Benefits, and Obligations as a Participant
What You Gain: Resources and Recognition
Participants in UN climate action programs gain access to a comprehensive support ecosystem designed to facilitate successful implementation. The UN Tourism secretariat provides technical toolkits covering carbon measurement methodologies, decarbonization pathways specific to tourism operations, and templates for developing compliant action plans. These resources translate complex climate science into practical guidance for accommodation providers, tour operators, and destinations.
Capacity-building opportunities include regional workshops, webinars with climate experts, and peer-learning networks where participants share strategies and solutions. Many signatories report that connecting with other committed organizations accelerates their learning curve and prevents common implementation mistakes.
Recognition benefits extend beyond environmental credibility. Participants receive official badges and certificates to display on marketing materials and websites, demonstrating verified commitment rather than unsubstantiated claims. The UN Tourism platform features participant profiles, creating visibility among sustainability-focused travelers and meeting planners who actively seek certified operators.
Several participants have leveraged their involvement to access preferential financing terms from lenders prioritizing climate action, while others use their status to strengthen partnerships with like-minded suppliers. The combination of practical tools, expert guidance, and market recognition creates tangible value that extends well beyond the initial commitment.
What You Commit To: Accountability and Action
When you join a UN climate action program like the Glasgow Declaration, you’re making a public commitment to transparent climate action, not a voluntary suggestion. Signatories must publicly report their progress every year, sharing both successes and setbacks. This annual reporting isn’t optional; it’s how the initiative maintains credibility and tracks collective progress toward the tourism sector’s climate goals.
You commit to setting science-based targets aligned with the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C pathway and demonstrating measurable progress. If your organization consistently fails to report or shows no genuine effort toward decarbonization, you risk being removed from the signatories list, a public signal that damages reputation more than never joining at all.
The framework expects continuous improvement, not perfection. You won’t face penalties for missing an interim target if you’re transparently working to course-correct. However, you must avoid greenwashing: vague claims without data, carbon offsetting that replaces actual emissions reduction, or cherry-picking positive metrics while hiding failures.
This accountability structure protects the program’s integrity. Your commitment means joining a community where transparency matters, progress gets measured honestly, and every participant holds each other to genuine climate action rather than performative gestures.
Real-World Impact: Tourism Businesses Leading the Way
The transformation from commitment to measurable impact becomes clear when examining tourism organizations that have embraced UN climate action frameworks. These pioneers demonstrate that ambitious climate goals align perfectly with business success and community wellbeing.
Intrepid Travel, an adventure tourism company operating across 120 countries, achieved carbon neutrality in 2010 and became the first tour operator to commit to science-based targets aligned with the Paris Agreement. By 2025, they’d reduced per-passenger emissions by 46% through fleet electrification, renewable energy partnerships with accommodation providers, and eliminating single-use plastics. Their transparency in sharing methodologies helped dozens of smaller operators develop their own reduction strategies, showing how industry leaders can catalyze broader change.
Destinations have equally compelling stories. New Zealand’s tourism sector, working through Tourism New Zealand’s sustainability commitment, reduced accommodation sector emissions by 28% between 2019 and 2024 while simultaneously improving visitor satisfaction scores. The approach integrated traditional Māori values of kaitiakitanga (guardianship) into sustainable tourism planning creating conservation jobs for local communities and protecting sacred sites.
Portugal’s Algarve region provides another model. Through coordinated action across 300 tourism businesses, the destination cut water consumption by 35% and diverted 82% of waste from landfills within three years. Small guesthouses and large resorts collaborated on shared solar installations, reducing energy costs for participants by an average of 40% while meeting renewable energy targets.
Transportation providers are making strides too. Hurtigruten Norway’s hybrid-electric expedition ships reduced emissions per passenger by 25% on Arctic routes while creating wildlife observation opportunities that replaced more carbon-intensive excursions. The company’s open-source sharing of their retrofit designs accelerated adoption across the expedition cruise sector.
What unites these success stories is measurement rigor and community co-benefits. Every initiative tracks emissions reductions against verified baselines, but also monitors local employment, traditional practice preservation, and ecosystem health. The Glasgow Declaration’s emphasis on regeneration ensures climate action strengthens rather than exploits communities.
These examples prove that UN climate commitments drive innovation, reduce operational costs, enhance visitor experiences, and create competitive advantages. The results are both environmental and economic, benefiting businesses and the destinations they call home.
Where to Get Help and Find Official Support
Participating in UN climate action doesn’t mean navigating the journey alone. A robust ecosystem of support exists specifically to help tourism businesses and destinations implement their commitments, measure their progress, and access the resources needed to succeed.
UN Tourism stands as your primary official resource. Their dedicated climate action portal provides implementation guides, measurement frameworks, case studies, and updates on program developments. You can reach their climate team directly through climateaction@unwto.org for technical questions or guidance on your specific situation. Regional UN Tourism offices offer localized support that accounts for your geographic context and regulatory environment.
For direct support and resources, turn to these official channels:
- UN Tourism Climate Action Portal: Comprehensive toolkits, measurement methodologies, and implementation guides
- Glasgow Declaration Secretariat: Support specifically for signatories, including reporting templates and pathway-specific guidance
- Tourism Declares a Climate Emergency: Peer network connecting climate-committed tourism businesses for knowledge sharing
- Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi): Technical assistance for setting and validating science-aligned emissions targets
- Green Climate Fund: Access to climate finance for eligible tourism projects in developing countries
- Regional sustainable tourism networks: Continent-specific organizations offering workshops, mentorship, and collaborative opportunities
- Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative (HCMI): Free carbon calculator and benchmarking tools for accommodation providers
- IATA Carbon Offset Program: Aviation-specific emissions measurement and offset solutions for tourism-related travel
Many national tourism boards have established climate action desks that can connect you with domestic funding programs, regulatory guidance, and local implementation partners. These offices often provide the most practical support for navigating regional requirements while aligning with global UN frameworks.
Technical assistance providers certified by UN Tourism offer specialized services, from conducting baseline emissions assessments to developing compliant action plans, particularly valuable for businesses without in-house sustainability expertise. While these services carry costs, many regions offer subsidies or grants that make professional support accessible to smaller operators.
Common Questions About UN Climate Action in Tourism
Participating in UN climate action for tourism raises practical questions for businesses and destinations considering these commitments. Understanding the real requirements, costs, and implications helps organizations make informed decisions about their involvement.
How much does it cost to participate in UN climate action programs?
Signing the Glasgow Declaration and joining UN Tourism climate initiatives is free, though you’ll need to invest in measuring emissions, implementing reduction strategies, and reporting progress. The actual costs depend entirely on your current operations and chosen decarbonization approaches, ranging from low-cost operational changes to larger capital investments in renewable energy or efficiency upgrades.
Can small tourism businesses realistically meet these commitments?
Yes, the programs are designed to be scalable, with pathways suitable for businesses of all sizes. Small operators often find quick wins through energy efficiency, waste reduction, and sustainable procurement, while larger organizations tackle more complex decarbonization projects. The key is setting achievable targets based on your baseline and resources.
Are UN climate commitments compatible with other sustainability certifications?
Absolutely. UN climate action frameworks complement existing certifications like Green Key, EarthCheck, or Travelife rather than replacing them. Many businesses use their existing certification data to inform their climate action plans and reporting, creating synergies rather than duplication.
What happens if we don’t meet our targets on time?
The emphasis is on transparent reporting and continuous improvement rather than punitive measures. If you’re not meeting targets, you’re expected to explain why, adjust your action plan, and demonstrate commitment to progress. Genuine effort and honest reporting matter more than perfection, though persistent inaction could affect your standing as a signatory.
Beyond these common concerns, many organizations wonder about the time commitment involved. Expect an initial investment of several weeks to assess your baseline, develop your action plan, and establish measurement systems. Ongoing effort includes quarterly or annual reporting, regular progress reviews, and continuous implementation of reduction measures. Most participants integrate these activities into existing sustainability or operations management rather than creating entirely separate workflows.
Another frequent question involves technical capacity. You don’t need climate science expertise to participate, UN Tourism and partner organizations provide methodologies, calculators, and guidance documents that walk you through measurement and reporting. Regional support networks and industry associations often offer workshops and peer learning opportunities where businesses share practical solutions and troubleshoot challenges together.
The pathway to meaningful climate action in tourism starts with a single step, and UN climate initiatives have made that step more accessible than ever. Whether you run a small guesthouse, manage a destination, or lead a tourism association, the frameworks and support systems now in place ensure you can contribute to global climate goals without facing the journey alone. The Glasgow Declaration, UN Tourism’s technical resources, and the growing network of committed organizations provide both the roadmap and the community you need to move forward.
The collective impact already emerging from tourism’s climate commitments demonstrates what becomes possible when the industry acts together. From reduced emissions and regenerated ecosystems to strengthened communities and new economic opportunities, the benefits extend far beyond environmental metrics. Each organization that measures its footprint, sets science-based targets, and reports transparently adds momentum to a transformation that’s reshaping tourism for the better.
Starting doesn’t require perfection. It requires commitment, transparency, and a willingness to improve continuously. The resources are available, the pathways are clear, and thousands of tourism organizations worldwide are already proving that climate action strengthens rather than constrains their operations. Your contribution to this movement begins with understanding what’s required, accessing the right support, and taking that first concrete step toward aligning your tourism activities with a thriving, resilient future.