The COVID-19 crisis has led to closed borders and brought international travel to a halt and thereby dramatically impacted the tourism industry across the world. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) warns that “the impact on tourism enterprises and workers, the majority being young women, is unprecedented.” Within the EU, some of the hardest hit countries by the pandemic, such as Spain and Italy, are heavily relying on their tourism industry flourishing.
At the same time, with the almost complete suspension of international air travel, record low emissions and in many tourist hot spots a partial recovery of the environment (e.g. water quality in Venice) could be observed.
The World Tourism Organization launched the campaign #TravelTomorrow earlier this year. While it underlines the importance of tourism as one of the key drivers of international (economic) recovery, it also aims to highlight the need for a more sustainable approach to international travel as an effort to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
With most inner European borders opening again as of mid-June just in time for the summer holidays, the question arises whether the COVID-19 crisis can be a second chance for sustainable tourism that considers and tries to reverse the detrimental social and environmental impacts of tourism. Is a real transformation of the industry towards low or zero carbon intensity possible?
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About the event
The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic is having a grip on societies worldwide and will impact our lives long after the crisis is overcome. It is clear that we cannot continue with “business as usual,” but that we need to discuss positive ideas and concepts for a better, greener future and resilient societies now.
GEF is therefore hosting the Green Post-Corona Talks, a series of participatory online discussions with high-level experts, thinkers, and policy-makers, and the opportunity for participants to pose their most pressing questions to them live.
The talks will highlight what is currently at stake in the Corona crisis but also look beyond the period of the pandemic, and what possible solutions are already out there and can lend themselves to design the post-corona world.
The series will cover different themes from economy, over migration to gender, and bring in inspiring perspectives from all across Europe.
The project is implemented in cooperation with Oikos.
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