Jennifer Axness
Originally published on Amadeus Insights.
Agnes Pierce, Director, Global Head of Sustainability, Hospitality, Amadeus
September 27, 2024 – As awareness of the environmental and socio-economic impacts of mass tourism grows, the travel and tourism industry are under pressure to adopt more sustainable practices. Balancing the needs of tourists, host communities, and the environment is a complex challenge that requires a culturally sensitive, collaborative approach.
For destination management organizations (DMOs), this could mean implementing policy changes, leveraging new technologies or working more closely with local people.
Here, I want to look at these changes, how they can be made and the benefits they bring.
Desire for change
At Amadeus, we recently conducted a comprehensive survey of 100 senior sustainability decision makers across nine markets. This research, part of a wider cross-industry project, aimed to understand how executives at DMOs perceive the role of technology in addressing environmental, social and governance challenges, their investment priorities and the key barriers they face in achieving their sustainability goals.
Our research reveals an encouraging trend: DMOs are not just talking about sustainability – they’re taking concrete steps to make it a reality. More than half (53%) of DMOs surveyed already have a step-by-step plan for achieving their sustainability goals, while another 38% plan to implement such a plan in the near future.
This proactive approach is backed by financial commitment, with 44% of DMOs intending to increase their spending on sustainability compared to the previous year, while 48% plan to maintain their current level of investment. Both, really good results.
These figures demonstrate a growing commitment to making tourism more sustainable, both environmentally and socially. DMOs are actively working to achieve their goals, with the majority feeling positive about the chances of success.
Technology enabling more sustainable tourism
One of the most striking findings in our research is the central role that technology plays in DMOs’ sustainability strategies. All the decision makers in charge of environmental, social and governance challenges that participated to the survey within these organizations identified ways in which they believe that technology can help drive social progress in the travel sector.
When asked about specific technologies, 40% believe in the power of Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI) interfaces to provide and or inform travelers of more sustainable options throughout their journey. A third (33%) see advanced search capabilities as important in helping travelers understand the environmental impact of their travel choices, while 26% recognize the potential of virtual and augmented reality to create immersive experiences at various stages of travel. In addition, nearly half (47%) of DMOs believe technology will improve access to travel through integrated accessibility solutions.
Despite their optimism, DMOs face challenges in implementing their sustainability initiatives. The most significant issue cited is lack of access to the right technology solutions, with 48% of DMO decision makers stating that access to technology solutions is needed for the industry.
Environmental and social initiatives
Carbon offsetting and climate solutions are priorities for many DMOs. With greater access to technology, these organizations believe their environmental goals can be more easily achieved.
But DMOs are not only focused on environmental sustainability – they’re also committed to social initiatives. Our research shows that 59% are already involved in social sustainability initiatives that impact people outside their organization, while 54% are actively enabling travelers to engage with local communities in destinations.
Technology can play a critical role in incorporating more sustainability-related elements into various systems. For instance, many Destination Management Organizations (DMOs) are looking to enhance their technology in areas such as destination promotion and campaign planning, booking forecasting and capacity planning, and visitor flow management – all priorities for DMOs integrating more sustainable activities into their technology systems.
Supporting the journey to sustainable tourism
At Amadeus, we’re committed to helping DMOs on their journey to reach their sustainable goals. Our media solutions provide opportunities to promote more sustainable activities at local destination to visitors. Our recent collaboration with the Netherlands Board of Tourism & Conventions, for example, uses location-based data, display ads, and social media to promote travelling by train, and successfully attracted over 27,000 German visitors. Additionally, we supported EMPROTUR Bariloche, Argentina, to leverage insights for evaluating marketing strategies and informing strategic planning as an answer to different tourism challenges they face, as an example the seasonality of demand.
As a travel technology provider, we’re actively looking for solutions to help DMOs work towards their sustainability goals. Our business intelligence tools and media solutions are designed to offer DMOs the option to make data-driven decisions that balance economic growth with environmental and social responsibility.
Looking ahead
The travel industry’s journey to reach sustainability goals is a collective one, and DMOs play an important role in leading the way. By harnessing the power of technology and fostering collaboration across the industry, we can work towards a more sustainable future for tourism.
As we continue to innovate and develop new solutions, we remain committed to supporting DMOs in their sustainability challenges. Together, we can help transform the travel industry to make tourism a force for good.
