World Tourism Day: This Is Why We Prioritize Responsible Travel ​

This World Tourism Day, we’re taking a moment to join the conversation about the role of tourism in culture, development and sustainability. For us, it’s also an opportunity to share a transparent update on how we’re progressing with our responsible travel strategy, and where we’re headed next.

To explore what this really means in practice, we sat down with our Chief Sustainability Officer, Shannon Guihan, to discuss our progress, the role of UN frameworks like the Sustainable Development Goals, and how travelers themselves are part of the journey.

Shannon Guihan, chief sustainability officer for TTC

What is World Tourism Day?

World Tourism Day was first established by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in 1980. Its goal: to highlight tourism’s role in driving social, cultural, political and economic value worldwide. Each year carries a new theme.

This year’s theme is “Sustainable Transformation”, a broad lens that spans environmental protection, climate action, equity, innovation and inclusion. It’s a timely focus that echoes much of the work already embedded in our How We Tread Right five-year sustainability strategy.

Does World Tourism Day shape our work?

We asked Shannon directly: how much does World Tourism Day influence our sustainability strategy?

“World Tourism Day doesn’t really influence what we do or how we do it, it influences what we say,” Shannon explained. “It’s useful for brands to be able to go to market with a message on the day, but it’s not something that determines our actions.”

Instead, Shannon sees the annual themes as a helpful way to frame the conversation publicly:

“This year’s theme, ‘sustainable transformation,’ is a catch-all. It includes environmental protection, social justice, innovation and inclusion—and that’s useful for us because it reflects the breadth of what we’ve been working on.”

What progress have we made in the last five years?

We are now finishing our five-year strategy, How We Tread Right, which launched in 2020 and set out 11 measurable goals. Shannon walked us through some of the highlights which reflect this year’s theme.

Cutting emissions

“We’ve reduced our Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 23% from a 2019 baseline. We’ve also reduced Scope 3 emissions by 20%. That includes working with our supply chain to engage them on reductions, which could be through the use of renewables in their energy mix.”

Food systems and agriculture

“We’ve saved the equivalent of about 778,000 meals through supplier changes and MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experiences connected to regenerative agriculture, while we’re encouraging organic use at all of our meals and restaurants.”

Investing through our carbon fund

“Over the last five years, we’ve invested $2.23 million into decarbonization projects through our industry-first carbon fund. It’s an internal fee based on each brand’s footprint, designed to encourage innovation and reductions. There’s nothing like it in the sector at the minute, except perhaps for airlines”

Scaling MAKE TRAVEL MATTER®

“We originally aimed for 50% of itineraries to feature a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience by 2025. Today, we’re already at 88%. These are impact-first travel experiences tied to the UN SDGs, and they’ve fundamentally shifted how our product and operations teams design trips.”

How do the UN Sustainable Development Goals guide us?

We asked Shannon about the role of the UN SDGs in shaping our strategy.

“The SDGs are our framework. We sat down five years ago and identified which goals we could most positively affect, and which issues could negatively impact our business if we ignored them. From there, we built specific criteria for our teams to find and vet experiences that directly support the SDGs.”

She added:

“A lot of businesses do what we call ‘rainbow-washing’, which is using SDG icons without measures behind them. We’ve built measurable, rigorous frameworks. And the beauty is, guests don’t have to know about the SDGs. By simply choosing our brands, they’re having a meaningful impact.”

What’s on the horizon?

With the current five-year strategy wrapping up, Shannon shared a glimpse of what’s next:

“We’re conducting an assessment now, looking both at our impact and the issues that could affect us. That will shape our new five-year strategy, launching early next year. I can’t share the details yet, but I’m excited. It’s going to sharpen how we align our operational work with TreadRight’s philanthropic projects, and it will give travelers an even clearer way to be part of the change.”

Why this matters to travelers

World Tourism Day is a reminder of how tourism can—and must—be a force for good. But as Shannon makes clear, it’s not about one day. It’s about long-term strategies that cut emissions, redirect spending to communities, and embed sustainability into the very fabric of the travel experience.

And as a traveler, the choice you make matters. Whether it’s dining at a regenerative farm, taking part in a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience, or simply booking with a brand that publishes real data, you’re part of the story of sustainable transformation.