Tourism in a pandemic world: tackling plastic pollution
With vaccination programmes underway, many countries are now poised to welcome travellers – and are more than ready to compensate for the recent decline in tourism revenue. Accounting for 10.4 per cent of global GDP and 1 in 10 jobs in 2019, travel and tourism will be critical to job creation and economic growth, as the world recovers from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
But while businesses seek to recoup pandemic-related losses and tourists yearn to travel again, there is a caveat. A joint report from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) points to the need for coordinated actions, policies and infrastructures to drive the industry toward circularity.
