Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport
Climate Impact & Sustainability Data (2021)
Reporting Period: 2021
Environmental Metrics
ESG Focus Areas
- Sustainability
- Inclusivity
Environmental Achievements
- Minimising damage to the environment
- Promoting sustainable tourism experiences
Social Achievements
- Ensuring the tourism sector contributes to the enhancement and conservation of the country’s cultural, natural and historic heritage
- Providing an inclusive and accessible offer that is open to all
- Maximising the value of the ‘purple pound’, which is the spending power of people with access needs
Governance Achievements
- Working collaboratively across government departments and with the private sector
Climate Goals & Targets
Long-term Goals:
- A tourism industry that contributes to the enhancement and conservation of the UK’s cultural, natural and historic heritage and minimises damage to the environment
- A tourism industry that provides an inclusive and accessible offer that is open to all
- For the UK to be a leading European nation for hosting business events
Medium-term Goals:
- Visitor spending to grow year-on-year in every nation and region of the UK
- Visitors staying longer
- Growing accommodation occupancy rates in the off-season
- Reduce the UK’s ‘balance of trade’ deficit between domestic and overseas spending by boosting domestic tourism
- Build back better with a more productive, innovative and resilient tourism industry
Short-term Goals:
- Recover domestic overnight trip volume and spend to 2019 levels by the end of 2022
- Recover inbound visitor numbers and spend by the end of 2023
Environmental Challenges
- COVID-19 pandemic's impact on tourism demand and supply
- Seasonality of UK tourism
- Market fragmentation
- Lack of information about the UK’s offer outside London
- International competition for market share
- Concerns about climate change
- Need to upgrade offer to cater for aging populations
Mitigation Strategies
- Providing over £25 billion in COVID-19-related economic support
- Implementing the Tourism Recovery Plan
- Investing in tourism product and infrastructure
- Launching domestic and international marketing campaigns
- Introducing a domestic tourism rail product and a voucher scheme
- Developing a more innovative and resilient industry
- Tackling structural barriers
- Promoting sustainable and environmentally positive recovery