The Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism
A common framework for turning climate ambition into measurable action across tourism.
Climate change is transforming the conditions in which tourism destinations develop.
Rising temperatures, changing weather patterns, pressure on ecosystems, water availability, biodiversity, infrastructure and evolving visitor behaviour increasingly influence the future of territories that depend on tourism.
Responding to these changes requires more than individual environmental initiatives.
It requires a common direction.
The Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism provides one of the most important international frameworks for bringing tourism stakeholders together around that direction.
Launched at COP26 in Glasgow in 2021, the Declaration was developed to align climate action across the tourism sector and accelerate the transition towards a low-carbon and climate-resilient future.
Its importance lies not simply in setting an ambition, but in connecting that ambition with a structured process for action.
From commitment to action
Climate commitments can remain abstract unless they are translated into plans, responsibilities and measurable progress.
The Glasgow Declaration was designed to address this gap.
Signatories commit to supporting global climate goals, developing or updating a Climate Action Plan, implementing it, reporting publicly on progress and working collaboratively with other tourism stakeholders.
The framework therefore introduces an important principle:
climate action should become part of how tourism organisations and destinations plan, operate, measure and develop.
It moves climate responsibility away from isolated initiatives and towards a continuous process of transformation.
Five shared pathways
At the centre of the Glasgow Declaration are five strategic pathways:
Measure → Decarbonize → Regenerate → Collaborate → Finance
Together, they provide a common structure while allowing different tourism organisations and destinations to develop responses appropriate to their own circumstances.
Measure
Climate action begins with understanding impact.
Tourism organisations and destinations need reliable information about emissions and other relevant environmental indicators in order to establish priorities, monitor progress and make informed decisions.
Measurement therefore creates the evidence base for action.
For destinations, this can become part of a broader process of understanding the relationship between tourism activities, visitor flows, mobility, infrastructure, natural resources and the territory.
Decarbonize
Tourism needs to reduce the emissions generated across its value chain.
Transport, accommodation, infrastructure, food and drink, activities and waste management all contribute to tourism’s climate impact.
The Declaration emphasises real emissions reductions, with offsetting playing only a complementary role.
At destination level, decarbonisation therefore requires more than improvements by individual businesses.
It requires considering how the different components of the tourism system interact and where structural changes can reduce environmental impact.
Regenerate
The Glasgow Declaration goes beyond reducing emissions.
Its Regenerate pathway recognises tourism’s dependence on healthy ecosystems and resilient communities.
It encourages the protection and restoration of ecosystems, biodiversity, food security and water resources while supporting resilience, climate adaptation and a better relationship between people and nature.
This represents an important evolution in tourism climate action.
The question is no longer only:
How can tourism reduce the harm it creates?
It is also:
How can tourism contribute positively to the territory on which it depends?
Collaborate
Climate change cannot be addressed by individual organisations acting independently.
Tourism intersects with transport, energy, agriculture, infrastructure, environmental management