Travel industry comes together to build a more sustainable future for the U.S. travel Industry
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Travel Association announced on Tuesday (July 26) the launch of its new Sustainable Travel Coalition, which aims to align the travel, transportation and technology sectors in developing and advancing strategies to enable a more sustainable future for the U.S. travel industry.
With nearly 60 member organizations at launch, the Sustainable Travel Coalition will serve as an advisory body to inform U.S. Travel on sustainability issues, opportunities and concerns within member organizations and destinations. A dedicated Policy Committee will help drive the broader coalition’s efforts to enable regular progress and collaboration.
U.S. Travel has several long-term goals, which will inform the coalition’s near-term policy priorities. The long-term goals:
Spotlight industry progress by showcasing innovative technologies and calling attention to the ongoing actions and leadership of travel professionals in the sustainability space.
Amplify industry goals and commitments to conservation, best practices, waste and emission reductions and both long- and short-term investments.
Highlight why sustainability matters and the importance of it as a core to travel’s future.
Play offence by identifying and promoting proactive policies to help the industry achieve its goals.
Defend against harmful policies that slow progress toward sustainability goals or penalize the industry without progress.
“Seeing the world and saving the world should not be mutually exclusive,” said U.S. Travel Association Executive Vice President of Public Affairs and Policy Tori Emerson Barnes. “As technology advances and consumers demand more sustainable travel options, the work of this coalition will ensure that the U.S. travel industry can meet the needs of an evolving market while also protecting our planet’s natural resources.”
“This is clearly an issue that spans well beyond the travel industry itself to practically all other sectors of the U.S. economy,” added Barnes. “By bringing together stakeholders across related industries, we are aligning leaders in travel, transportation and technology on the critical issues that will affect their businesses for decades to come.”
